Wish List

Eve's Wish List

Big Skillet
Oven Thermometer/Kitchen Thermometer
Dance by Mucha (Poster)
Hello Kitty Luggage Tags
Shower Radio
1000+ piece puzzles
Money to Charity
Marble Rolling Pin
18 inch silver or white gold necklace
Now that's What I call Music 32
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
An original artwork (one that you paint, draw,etc)
A surprise visit
A letter telling me why I am loved or a special memory of me
A picture of you
A jar of moonlight (whatever that means to you)
A coupon for dinner at your house for a later date
Homemade cookies (chocolate chips are my favorite but whatever is good )
Fables #7 and 9
Y: The Last Man #3-10
Silicon Cooking sheets

I was going to send this out to my family but couldn't get it attached. Whomever gets me as their person this year should probably check with B.

It is a family tradition to write this after dinner on Thanksgiving. B. and I rebelled with ham though : ) This is a lot shorter than I normally do and it was super hard this year. We already have so much. I am thankful for that and for my family. They are just so cool and unbelievable kind and caring. I feel like they are not just family. They are my friends too.

I am thankful for B too. I am so incredibly lucky to have him in my life. I love him beyond words. He is my best friend and my love. How cool is that : )

Good night and thank you!

Things I learn at work

They are very big on training at my job. But sometimes the things I learn don't exactly fall under training per se. I learn about how some have come long distances and sacrificed much to come to this country. One of my coworkers is from Kenya. Her parents moved her and her siblings here to give them more opportunity. They gave up a lot to be here. I really like hearing her talk. To me, her accent sounds so cool. She is willing to talk about everything under the sun.

Another one of my coworkers has three kids. They are all around my age. She goes through trials, joys and the in-between with them. But through it all she wants the best for them. It is a good lesson to show someone who has not had the courage to have kids yet. With her, everyone who comes through the doors is a possible family member or friend. She fusses at and for them.

I am in awe of my library kids sometimes. They are so curious and so want to help. They are so smart too. They crowd around my station sometimes. Just wanting someone to listen. It is interesting to see the world like they see it.

I had the chance to talk to my coworker about being a parent, buying a house and Christmas. She told me about how her father would write handwritten notes to her and her siblings as from Santa and he would put Santa bootprints around the fireplace. She is somewhat in the same boat as me. Both newlyweds, both renting, both no kids. It is good to talk to someone so alike me and so different. She has been saving up for a house and the where to go from here. She is really helpful and a good example in customer service.

Good day and hi, ho, hi, ho, it's off to work I go.

Feeling Better

The last couple of days, I was feeling a bit off. Mainly just tired and a bit off. Today was better.

The worst part of it all was we had dance class on a day when I didn't feel good. I was determined to go though. But now, I can hardly remember the steps we learned. It is such a shame. We had begun on turns and spins. Not a day for a headache and being dizzy already.

But we head back again on Tuesday. We have talked it over and are thinking of continuing. We finally got to dance on the beat that day. It just felt so cool to dance with B.

Today I also got to make turkeys in storytime. They were oreo turkeys and they were super yummy! I made a couple for the staff too. I think we are going to use them in a craft program on Tuesday too.

I am taking Wednesday off to get supplies and get cooking. We aren't doing a big family thing but B and I will be having a Thanksgiving dinner together. There is so much to be thankful this year.

Good night and I sure hope I can remember the steps this time.

The food of the soul

I live for music, rhythm and dance. I sing and dance while I drive. I hear songs in my head and will usually sing at the drop of a hat.

I got a real thrill tonight though. B and I went to our first ballroom dance lesson. It was such fun. He was really nervous though. I can usually tell. He barely let my hand go as the owner told us about the lessons and setup. But he did great. The teacher was really patient with us.
We started on the basic steps and then moved onto a box step and then a basic foxtrot. We didn't do it for any particular reason. It was just something fun and active to do together. It reminds me of our marriage. We are having fun, not knowing all the steps but learning them together. Sometimes toes get stepped on or someone goes the wrong way but it is all about the dance.

Afterwards we went out to dinner at the other Country Cabin. They have beef stroganoff on Wednesdays only. It could easily become my favorite day of the week. Dance AND beef stroganoff...

Good night and may I have this dance?

October in A Nutshell

Earlier this month, B and I headed out to Kingsley Plantation on a very windy day.

I love driving with him. And we spend a lot of time talking and laughing on the drive.

Dad always likes to say that history is in every step you take. And I loved stepping here and imagining what it might have been like to live during that time.

Could have the mistress of this house stood on her lawn contemplating the water and sky just like me? Could she have loved the feel of the wind pushing her hair to and fro like I did?

In the middle/end of the month, B and I went to a Star Wars in Concert. We got to listen to a live symphony orchestra play the Star Wars score and watch a montage of the movies all together.

During intermission, I got a picture of Star Wars' bad guy and my good guy. I had tried to get the tickets as a surprise. But ended up telling him about it before the end of the night... it is so hard for me to hold onto surprises.

This is the fall book display towards the end of the month of October. I really love the season and holiday so I put a lot into it.

Including adding some of my own decorations from home (i.e. the black cat among others).

I am always surprised at what things I find in the back room. These were a tie dye type of banner of fall leaves we wrapped around the circulation desk. Everyone kept checking to see if we had finally put candy in the pumpkins. : P

I am a Florida pioneer woman (or cracker) for Halloween. I was able to use my grandmother's basket (she makes beautiful ones). It made me laugh as people tried to guess who I was. I got everything from Holly Hobby to Mother Goose.

Apparently because being a pioneer woman wasn't cool enough I decided to add shades to my ensemble. Well, not really. I had been to the eye doctor earlier and gotten the slip ons for my glasses due to my eyes being dialated.

This look got me called Granny for the rest of the afternoon.

All in all, a very good month was October. I wonder what November will bring...

Good night and good night.

What was waiting for me when I came home tonight...

I have been fighting a bad cold this last week. Last Friday I had no voice. And this weekend was no weekend. I spent it all in bed asleep. But tonight when I got home, I had the most lovely surprise waiting for me.

The card is a get well card entitled "Meee-Ouch!"

The note pad has this written above it:

When I Look at You...

I see a remarkable woman with a kind and caring heart who is beautiful in every sense of the word. You are everything wonderful and if I had just one wish it would be that you could see what I see when I look at you.

Thankfully I had tissues galore...

Good night and lucky me!

De-stressed

Mark took me away this last weekend. We headed down to St. Augustine Beach. We had a lovely room with a view of the beach and jacuzzi tub in the room.

Why? Well, after months of pins and needles, we are still open the same hours at the same branch. Somehow the people spoke up and wanted us open. It was humbling how many people came into the library to tell us how we were important. Some signed or created petitions, some contacted the local politicans, some wrote the paper. It was so cool.

It is amazing to me just what an importance libraries have everywhere. I remember being at a meeting recently and hearing about Philadelphia's library system. Basically if they didn't get the budget passed, they were going to close the entire library system. Every branch. Even though I don't live anywhere near there, I responded by contacting the local goverment. I just checked their page. The bill keeping them in business passed 32 to 17.

And yea gods, have we been busy! I secretly laugh when I get the gate count now. The reasoning they gave for us being the ones under the knife was that we weren't being used. I have only been with the system for 7 years this upcoming February. I think that I have been at this branch for maybe going on 3 years. We got a gate counter within that time and when I checked it tonight it was over 266,000 people who have gone and out. Even halfing it, it would be 133,000 people coming in.

And we aren't busy? Yep, that's us... just a bunch of library slackers twittling our thumbs.

Good night and Yay for Libraries!

Limbo

I feel a bit stuck. Although good news appeared on the library front, I am still holding off on an celebrations until knowing for sure. There are still changes on the horizon. I am just not sure how it will affect me.

I want to make plans. But being stuck I can't. It makes me feel a bit frustrated and sad. I rather like moving forward. I feel like a hamster on a wheel. A bit like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog's Day. Nothing changes.

Luckily life with B is always changing. We had a good talk the other night. I like that we are still figuring each other out. I could only go one way down a road before having to pull on a side road to turn around. I was sure that it was a way full of mutant zombies. They were going to pop out of the ground at any moment. Not only could he understand my fear but we started figuring out battle plans and laughing. It is lovely to have someone to laugh with like that. Not only that but the talk we had was about some of my not so laughable fears and he just held me tight and told me it would be all right. That we would figure it out together.

Good night. Guten tag : )

Birthday Weekend

Today was B's birthday. I don't think we really celebrate the number as much as the fact that he was born. We had a low key day at his request. I got to surprise him at Outback with singing and dessert. It was so funny. Thus far he has yet to remember that I do it each year. LOL I had to laugh though as he went to the bathroom before hand. The guys all came out to see and the line stopped as they realized that he was gone. They scrambled back into the kitchen until he came back.

I also surprised him with a singing cat card. The cats meowed the Happy Birthday song. He opened it and the cats came right over. They all wanted to figure out where we were hiding the new cats.

I had a good day Saturday with J and T. We talked for a while and then researched dreams. I had had one interesting one the other day. I dreamed that Dad, Mom, P and I were at Grandmother's. But the house was a one level ranch and located in the Middle East. Then all of sudden the house was attacked by terrorists. They weren't going to hurt me because I was married. I had to show them my ring. Then they gave me some accupunture needles because I had to put the number 26 on my eyeballs so they could film me. At the end as they left, one said "Good bye" and I woke up. B had gone off to do a game with the guys. He said that it had been held in one of the guy's new gaming room. Apparently there was some discussion of turning into the Bat Cave.

Good night and dream on.

Followers

It has been ages since I last posted. My web life recently has been diverted into Facebook. It is a bit like blogging and Myspace. You post a couple of lines of update and then there is other social stuff and games you can do on it.

There is a Mobster game that I play on it now called ... well, Mobsters : ) My handle in that game is Pissed Off Librarian. Right now it is more like Librarian in Limbo. No one knows what is going on with our branch, our patrons, our jobs... hence the limbo. Personally I wish it were the other kind. The kind that involves Jamaica, beaches, a staff and tons of rum.

B and I have been busy getting the apartment ready to show off to the fam over Labor Day. It has been really lovely setting up house with him. LOL Even if he does want everything Star Wars themed. At least my Hello Kitty is contained mostly by my bathroom.

Apparently there is a new gadget for Blogs so that people can follow your blog. I checked. I am a poor prophet. I only have one follower. It is hard for me to be a follower. Especially when I want to do it my way. I am so stubborn. I have had many a discussion with God about that character trait : D It is so hard to let him lead. One of the message I kept from a Happening a long time ago was to Let Go and Let God. I have to stop and focus on that when I get too sure that I can do it all.

Good day and Let Go... : D

Irony

Sometime in the last couple of weeks, I found out that my library's hours were being halfed. The staff would be moved to other branches and the collection reduced. One person who came in and had talked to the local council person said that the council person had been told that no one goes to our library.

Now about 2 or 3 years ago, we had a gate counter installed. Today at around noon, the counter read at a little over 235,000 counts. Which means about 115,000 people walked in and then out again in the last several years. And we aren't being used.

Not to mention I was just notified that I won an award. And so did my branch manager for our work in the community. How weird is that? I mean, I'm thrilled. It is nice to see that someone recognizes that I am awesome but the timing is just plain off.

Weirdness and wonderful in the same day.

Good night and good night.

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7 8 9.

We've been celebrating the fact that today is 07/08/09. No other reason than a good joke.

We're down to the last couple of boxes. I would have already unpacked them but I need another bookcase. This has caused a bit of a dilema though. B and I have never been very good at putting things together. We are not a "handy" couple by any stretch of the imagination. LOL In fact, the last time we put a bookcase together, it broke into pieces when we tried to carry it out to door. I mean, one minute bookcase and then next I am holding two boards. And the predone ones are majorly expensive. What to do? I figure we'll rotate. It will be like finding new books : P

I know we are both looking forward to exploring the Capital this weekend. I emailed Aunt C and Uncle J and we're hoping to meet up with them, Aunt K and Grandmother too on Sunday. That should be super coolness. I'm still not sure where to meet up with them since we'll be in DC sans transportation.

Good day and good day!

My fort of Boxes

I prayed for the moving guys today. This weekend is supposed to be over 100 here and I am sure that they are working.

We are all moved in. Things were packed and the movers complimented us on how everything was done when they got there. : ) Then it was done. If they have come the day before, it was major chaos. I let B. pack up the office. I was , as normal, trying to do it all by myself. And getting frustrated. That is so hard for me.

I always want to do it all myself. I had to force myself not even to enter the room. Otherwise I would start taking over.

I had to laugh though. We had different priorities on what room should be unpacked first. For him, it was the computer and office setup and for me, it was the kitchen and bathroom : P But we packed together and we unpack together.

Another funny thing has been the dreams. For the first several days, I had weird dreams. One was about eating a chili cheese hotdog. The other was working at a library that was only open from 12:30 to 2:30 and at 2:30 exactly all power was cut off in the building. I had to feel my way out.

And the most peculiar was the one where I was driving with Mom and the power went out. Not just the streets but the cars. We got out to walk and I remember walking past a car with a family inside. When I looked in the car windows, it looked like they lived in it. The look that the little girl inside was just so unbelievable sad. All the cars were stopped all ascew and just ahead of those cars, there were bodies lying all around.

But the last one was the night before's. I dreamed I made the kitties ketchup sandwiches. I am never where my brain comes up with this stuff.

Good night and dream not of ketchup : P

A Sword, Strippers and Children

A couple of nights ago, I came home after dinner with T and asked B. what he thought about the name of Patricia Hazel for a girl's name. Every now and then, we discuss what we would like to name our kids. Patricia Hazel is my current favorite for girl and John Andrew is his current favorite for a boy.

No worries, people. This is not my way of announcing anything. We just have decided to give it a year to work on saving for a house and getting my health all taken care of and then working on kids.

Although after this story, I may change my mind. I have a friend. She is a lovely, sweet woman who thinks of many before her own needs. She came in to work this morning stating that she hadn't gotten any sleep. I was curious so I asked if she wanted to talk about it. She shook her head no. I then asked which daughter was it about. She just grimaced. She has three kids. One daughter lives at home with her and the other in a house that she owns. They are both about my age. Or as someone put it today, old enough to know better but not enough to care....

Well, she got a phone call from the out of the house daughter, N. at 3 or 4 this morning. N. was quite upset. She had just had her car window stabbed with a sword. Yeah. A sword. Apparently she was dropping a friend off and her two other friends were in the backseat. Well, they got to the address. The friend got out as another guy came out of the house. A whole lot of yelling and cussing insued. Then a whole bunch of strippers came out of the house. Yeah, strippers. And the yelling and cussing went up a couple knouches.

Apparently one of the strippers was more than just a little upset or something because she started attacking N's car. She was throwing all sorts of things at it causing all sorts of dents and scratches.

And then she got a sword and tried to put it through the car window. It was actually thrust hard enough to break the glass and put a hole in the window. N called the police and her mom. Well, then N decided the police, who had decided it was a she said she said situation, weren't doing enough. So she decided to yell at them and accuse them of siding with the strippers.

Woa. And all this time she is on the phone with my friend, JC. With all the commotion, JC's husband wakes up. In his Phillipino accent, he begans saying son of beech, son of beech, that's it. These girls are crazy. We are moving to the mountains. JC is half fussed at N and half trying to calm her husband down. The situation finally calmed down and N didn't get arrested thankfully.

Now, I really feel bad for my friend. She really has a great heart. I know she has been really frustrated dealing with her daughters. But I could NOT stop laughing while she is telling me this. At one point, I told her I just can't shake this vision of a Red Sonja stripper stabbing the car.

And they say library workers have a quiet and dull time... just tell me this when did you go to work and get a sword and stripper story?

Good night and watch out for sword carrying strippers.

Stonehenge is now a flower bed path...

I notice things. Some of them because they are out of place in my normal days doings. Some because they are something I see every day and they change.

Saturday, I noticed a man walking down the street. Just an ordinary man. Normal clothes, normal shoes, normal everything but one thing. He has carrying a cross. Not just in his hands or arms. It was over his shoulder. It was taller than he was. My first thought was Pick up your cross and follow me. And then I thought that it was better than Jesus' own. It had wheels on it.

The second thing I noticed was something I drive by regularly. There is a corner on a street near my house. It is a plain ordinary corner. Someone used to plant wild flowers there. They also used to have a bunch of rocks put there. They were just plain rocks, about the size of a good sized book or bigger. I decided it was our own version of Stonehenge. I didn't know how it had been put together. I just enjoyed seeing it. It has been through different formations and for a while recently it had been missing. It eventually got put back up though. But right now it has become a border. A flower bed border... I am sad to see it used so practically.

I really liked that it changed and I never knew if it would still be there or how it would look. The joy was in the not knowing. Perhaps it will change again. Or maybe the joy is in the not knowing but hoping it will be back. I'll just have faith in the unseen and the unknown.

I have faith in the unseen and unknown God. Part of my joy is him is in the learning and the seeing.

Good day and keep your eyes peeled. You'd be amazed at all you see.

L'eau, Aqua and Water

That is what I drink primarily now. I have just finished off my fourth bottle today. Neither my primary or my cardiologist want me drinking much of any thing else.

Today I talked up the summer library programs. It was so much fun. The kids really enjoyed "I ain't gonna Paint No More" book and the My aunt came back song. I never realize how thirsty I am and how much my feet hurt until after the program. I love just doing the stories though. That is my favorite part of the job. The having fun with the kids and talking about and reading books.

I wonder sometimes what has happened to some of the kids that I used to work with. My first internship kids would be graduating either this year or next. How cool is that? This year I've got three people graduating. T. , S. and M. I am very proud of them all : )

Good day and dream big.

Feeling better... finally

I have had a bad congestion for about two weeks. I am finally starting to feel not so fuzzy. I had a lovely day yesterday with J. We headed off to do some shopping at Cato and WallyWorld. It is so funny to me that we have such different tastes but we are pretty much the same size right now. I got some really cute things for work and B liked the pjs I picked out : P

B and I headed out today to see the new Star Trek movie. It was really good and even better was spending time with him. He finally got the info for his business trip in July. I am planning to spend the first weekend with him but he is going to be there for a week. I can't even imagine being here without him. I just love him beyond words.

Tomorrow we plan just to hang here and pack. The three major rooms I hope to get done are the office, kitchen and bedroom. Then that should be most of it. Even though we don't move for a while yet : ) I just like being ready. Plus it gives me time to clear out stuff. I think we will both be ready by time is comes around.

Good night and I love B.

Blast from the Past

I tend to think of myself as quiet and nice. And fun sometimes too. I don't think of myself as memorable.

Yesterday I had a training class and someone recognized me. He was someone I worked with like ten years ago. I have had that happen before. Someone from high school has come into the library. There was another high schooler who came into my children's program with her kids about six years ago.

The longest were the girl who about 5 or 6 years ago remembered me from 3rd grade and the my first grade teacher who was still working as a teacher who I subbed for. Talk about head flip.

It just seems so strange. It makes me wonder what I did that stuck out in someone's head. Especially the teacher. I mean she has had to have seen hundreds if not thousands of kids. What was so special about me? It does make me glad though. I mean, if I had been horrible or mean, maybe they wouldn't have said anything...

Good day and remember when....

Curse it all, I napped!

I can't get to sleep. I had a bad headache when I came home today. So I laid down.

Big mistake. I napped and now when it is time to get to sleep, nothing doing. I mainly can't get my head to shut up. I started thinking about work tomorrow, storytime, Mother's Day, calling sibs.... on and on.

We are waiting to hear the fate of our moving. Supposedly we have a seller for this place and our landlady wanted us to move out as of the 27th of May. But I haven't heard a definite yet. Pins and needles.

We sent our last (?) rent check in with the letter of intent to move on Monday. And we have already done our deposit for the new place. I would like to just know how much packing time I have.

Good night/morning and oh, happy day!

Fostering Reading

I have to teach a class tomorrow on the importance of fostering reading. It is to a bunch of teen moms or moms-to-be. I hope something I say will touch at least one of them or make them think.

I can barely imagine being pregant now much less when I was a teen. I am still on a wait and see as result are being figured out. I meet with my doctor at the end of the month and I need to schedule my follow up with my cardiologist. Once I get a better handle on my health stuff, then we can start figuring out the kids thing.

He would like two. I would like at least one. Everyone just wants us to get started. But it is important to me to have a little time to work on being a wife. The best thing I can give a child is a loving family to come into. Plus a love of books. Both of us read everything we can get our hands on. So hopefully no worries there.

That actually has been the hard part about packing the books up. I have to keep myself from making a pile for myself.

Good night and happy reading.