I’m not sure if it’s the books I’ve been reading lately but the Lord has really put courtship on my heart. My husband and I didn’t do a traditional courtship in the sense that we were chaperoned but that from the beginning we stated our intentions that we would be dating to be married. I’ve been thinking a lot about things that have happened in my past and while I can’t say that I regret them because I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today but I am ashamed of what happened. I think finally for the first time, I am feeling the guilt.

I will be having our children do a courtship. I don’t feel dating is what we should be teaching our children as Christians. Dating leads to being in love with a variety of different people. I don’t think that’s a good idea. You should be with your one and only true love. Ryan is in agreement that we should teach them courtship.

It’s just something that I’ve been thinking about lately.

Can you guess where we’re going? Where can you visit all these places and more  at the same time?

We’ll be spending a day next week here. It’s going to be hot, afterall this is Florida and I’m not thrilled with that prospect however I will soldier up to the challenge to spend the day with my husband.

In August we’ll be taking an expedition to another place…can you guess this amazing adventure that awaits us? I am more excited about this trip in August than the one that’s coming up.

I am truely thrilled by both of these visits. The only thing that concerns me is the hot weather of my state! I melt. I will brave the elements for enjoyment!

Secondly, I am throughly enjoying the season of True Blood, however I think that this season ( s0 far only 2 episodes in) Sookie is being rather dumb. I’m more interested in seeing how Eric ( Alexander Skarsgard) is devloping. Things are VERY different in the book and somewhat I wish they would stick with the book because those are the characters I’ve grown to love and the t.v. show is very different, very graphic and sexual which I’m just not that into. I know that’s what makes a good show for HBO but it dissapoints me. It is my guilty pleasure. I did find out that I must wait until May of 2010 to have the next Sookie Stackhouse book released – perhaps by then my belly will be encasing a precious gift and I’ll only be focused on that. Here’s to hoping.

Living in the sunshine state it goes without saying that there are a lot of sun-worshipers which make it difficult for someone who hates hot weather. It’s not as if I’ve just recently developed this dislike for the summertime, although it may appears as though it has to me and maybe my husband since I’ve moved to Florida within the last two years but it’s simply not true as I found out this weekend from my mother.

“You used to whine to go inside all the time. You’ve always hated the hot weather.” So simply put.

I’ve begun the studying for the exams I failed previously. I’m feeling more confident in myself but there is still an amount of studying that I need to do. Although I do have plenty of time, my test is a little over a month away – I don’t want to put it off.

Baby news: I had a test done last Thursday which came back all clear – naturally a good sign. Ry had a test done on Tuesday but we won’t have the results until at least this coming Tuesday, and maybe until next Monday.

Okay so I’m 25 years old and still have all four wisdom teeth. Why? I’m so afraid of the i.v. sedation. I don’t think it’s necessary for me because the sedation is meant for people who are anxious about the surgery, which I am not. I don’t mind the cracking or the force that may be needed to extract the teeth. They aren’t even bothering me. My fear of the i.v sedation is because when I had a mass removed from my right breast I was given the same type of medication – twilight medicine and when they first gave it to me the room started to spin and then I don’t remember anything until being wheeled into the O.R. I don’t want that dizziness factor again plus there are additional complications such as vomiting afterward that I wish to avoid at all costs!! I haven’t vomited in at least 10 years. I like that record.

I finally set up a consult for June 23rd. I know the Dentist will say they need to come out with the i.v sedation but I am going to insist on a local only. There is no reason to give me the sedation if that’s what I’m nervous about. It’s counterproductive. Plus, by the time that rolls around I may be pregnant and I will NOT do anything to jeopardize a pregnancy that I’ve waited so long for.

I’ve had a gum graph done when I was young maybe 10? 11? 12? I don’t remember the age but they used laughing gas and I remember the surgery and such but wasn’t in any pain. I did however wake up with a bleeding mouth in the middle of the night and was so freaked out I fainted. The only time I’ve done so. So I’ve had my fair share of operations. I would like this to be a non-operation!

I received my KK yesterday. I was absolutely thrilled. I ripped open the package in its funky insulated wrapping that I’ve never seen before. Washed it out and poured water in. As I was cleaning the sports I cap I noticed that there was a small ball in the top. I touched it and of course it fell out and is now at some unidentified place in my kitchen floor. Without this little ball the KK leaks!

So there is the picture of the culprit! Now this seems a pretty stupid way to produce this bottle. I emailed the company to ask for a replacement as of now – no response. I’m considering returining it and getting another type of bottle.

UPDATE: Emailed KK and they’ve shipped me out a new top.

Klean Kanteen

• 18/8 Food-Grade Stainless

• KK states they do not leach toxins or chemicals like BPA.

• KK states that your drinks taste the same- no metal taste.

• Caps are made from polypropylene ( a plastic that does not contain BPA)

• KK’s are constructed of high-quality, sanitary grade 304 stainless steel. “The stainless steel in KK has a low nickel content and is preferred by breweries and dairies”

• Can be used to carry apple, orange juice

• Not able to be used with HOT liquids.

• Do not put it in the freezer – it will void the warranty

• Clean with white vinegar and baking soda – yay eco-friendly cleaning.

• Don’t wash the caps in the dishwasher.

• One-year guarantee on bottles, caps, and lids against manufacturing defects.

• “While aluminum is lightweight, it leaches toxic chemicals when it comes in contact with anything acidic. Therefore, aluminum has to be lined with something to make sure the contents are safe for drinking. Usually it is lined with plastic which can leach chemicals, baked on epoxy, or ceramic which can crack”

• Responsibly Made in China – I actually don’t see this as a problem because I’ve seen pictures online of Chinese factories and they are regimented to the t and most border on sweat-shop work. I am hopeful that KK doesn’t have harmful work environment but I believe that these places are very strict. That being said KK does go to China to check on their factories and allow others to come in and take a look as well.

SIGG

• All aluminum SIGG bottles are made in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.

• Stainless steel bottles are designed by the Swiss @ SIGG in Switzerland and created in China.

• Uses industrial strength, sanitary grade 18/8 stainless steel

• A worker-bee (aka Swiss Quality Control Inspector) from Switzerland works full-time at this factory.

• Have water-based, non-toxic liner that has been tested to ensure 0.0% leaching.

• Can fill with carbonated beverages (not to the top – the pressure from the carbonation)

• Milk or juices drink within 12 hours of filling – due to warmth and oxygen that may initiate a fermentation!

• No hot tea or coffee.

• Do not put in the freezer and do now allow any beverages inside to freeze. This will crack the bottle. Ice cubes are ok.

• Clean with soapy water daily and air dry or SIGG cleaning tablets and SIGG brush.

• Do not used hard bristled brush to clean the interior – it will damage the liner.

• Not dishwasher safe.

• Tops are made from Polypropylene (PP).

• SIGG is the only water bottle on the market to use the “special” liner.

• NO PRESENCE WHATSOEVER of phthalates, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Bysphenol A (BPA), Bysphenol B (BPB) or any other chemicals which scientists have deemed as potentially harmful

All information was taken from SIGG’s website.

EarthLust

• High quality #304 food grade stainless steel – naturally safe unlined.

• Custom design bottles – not stock bottles.

• Most of line is limited edition.

• Use non-tox paints and BPA-free safe polypropelene #5 caps.

• Come in 13oz, 20oz, and 1L sizes.

• Sports tops available for 13 and 20 ozs.

(This was all information available)

All information taken from EarthLust website.

With this information, I’m happy to stick with my Klean Kanteen. I think it is the safest way to go and I feel that I have all the necessary information. I don’t like the fact that the lining in a SIGG may become damanged if it needs a good cleaning. So I hope this post is helpful to someone other than myself.

Awesome! That’s all I can say for this couple – Aaron and Rosie.They met online via Flickr and have these amazing photos to show. I am completely smitten with this one and have requested the cost for a print! I love it. They are both quite handy with photo manipulation and it’s great!  Go, give them some of your business.  The photos are so romantic it makes me squeal with glee. It makes me think of the time when Ryan and I first met and were dating long distance.

The time has come for the cousin to give birth. She’s being taken to hospital tonight and induced tomorrow sometime. Today my emotions are mixed. I am happy for her and her husband but I am still jealous. I will always be jealous and it’s not their fault and nor is it mine.

Please don’t comment with “it’s just not your time.” That does not help. Ask anyone who struggles with infertility, we hate that and a variety of other things too like “relax”.

I went to the gym today thinking that fighting it out with the elliptical would allow me some comfort. It did for a little while but when I finished all the thoughts came rushing back into my head. Is it because I forgot my meds yesterday? Possibly. I get really raw with emotion when I forget them.

We have tests coming up for both of us. Ryan is being tested on June 16th and I have an HSG test on June 11th at 8:00am! Far too early for me, but it’s necessary. Please, if anyone is reading what I write, pray there is no blockage. Not only would that make it a painful test but it would crush me and my spirits.

I stumbled upon a post from NPR that included some new fabulous fiction.

Joanna Scott’s Follow Me also revolves around the telling of a life story, but hers is more slippery with half-truths and obfuscation. A 60-something Sally is recounting her life’s journey to her granddaughter — it begins in the 1940s, with her being knocked up by a cousin, and winds its way through town after town and mishap after mishap. The only problem is, Sally’s own son — her granddaughter’s estranged father — shows up and contradicts the tale.

Excerpt.

“In the late winter of 2006, I returned to my home town and bought 612 acres of land on the far western edge of the county.” So begins J. Robert Lennon’ snew novel Castle, but never fear. It’s not a trite tale of homecomings, rediscovered roots and a simpler way of life in the countryside. It’s a story of paranoia and simmering violence.

Lennon’s narrator, Eric, notices an uncharted region in the map of his newly bought land, a parcel he does not own. He tries to penetrate the heavily wooded area — and saying more would ruin the tension. It’s a creepy and wickedly smart little tale, perfect for giving you shivers on an overly hot summer day.

AND…yay Eric *thinks of the vampire Viking and drools*

Excerpt.

The story opens with Maya, but quickly flips over to her parents. When they discover that Maya has been secretly calling her brother at home late at night, they’re left to wonder: Does she distrust us? Did we do something to drive her away? London handles these delicate, sticky subjects — power dynamics in sexual relationships, the unfamiliar territory between parents and a newly adult daughter, the lives we think we leave behind when we start a new family — with elegance and suspense

Excerpt.

In a genre dominated by repetitive series with unimaginative, stereotypical

protagonists — detectives who drink to forget or journalists on the crime beat with dark pasts of their own — Gillian Flynn has now published two quietly superior works. In her 2007 debut novel, Sharp Objects, a woman returns home to a small Midwestern town that keeps losing its little girls. Now, with Dark Places, the only survivor of the “Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas” massacre that wiped out her family is forced to confront the lies she told that convicted her brother of the killings. Both books could have fallen into familiar territory, relying on the typical outline of a murder investigation, but Flynn is a more creative writer than that.

A former chief television critic at Entertainment Weekly, Flynn specializes in dark female narrators. They’ve been beaten around by fate, and they’re letting fate win. Dark Places’ Libby Day may seem unpleasant company at first — she’s humoring those with morbid curiosities about her family’s murders in order to get money out of them — but her steely nature and sharp tongue are compelling. “I have a meanness inside me,” she says, “real as an organ.” Yes she does, and by the end of this pitch-black novel, after we’ve loosened our grip on its cover and started breathing deeply again, we’re glad Flynn decided to share it.

Excerpt

I love a good suspense novel!

P.S. Stuipd wordpress fails me on posting these easily.

There are no words to express how excited I am about this:

I can’t believe how much I scoffed at the thought of vampires before…”oh vampires, seriously?” was pretty much my reaction everytime. Thank you dearly beloved K ( you know who you are) and I must thank myself for stumbling onto Twilight before I actually knew it was about vampires. I’m not thrilled with the writing style or the huge obsession with the badly-written books but I did enjoy them. I admit it. Now I must run and hide from my fellow English majoring students. I know a few of them were sucked in as well. It is strangely addictive and I’m a little disappointed in myself for enjoying them but I did. The movie however was awful.

yay vampires! especially  alexander skarsgard who is very delicious in the show and as I am reading any Sookie Stackhouse series I imagine him as eric, otherwise i’m not much interested in him. i only fancy him as a vampire. go figure.

on another note, tomorrow we feast! feasting on steaks that i was able to get on sale for 10.00 a lb rather than the 20.00 a lb they’re ususally charging. what a thrill it was to pick out some delicious looking steak and imagine it simmering to perfection in my oven along with some buttered broccoli and mashed potatoes. maybe i will find an appropriate dessert for the holiday weekend.

i will be working on monday but that’s fine with me as i get paid time and 1/2 which esentially means = more money. yay. ryan is off this evening to spend time at the orlando magic game with two friends and i will let him drive my car so he can drive in the rain if necessary. i will watch church from home.