Tuesday Top 10 - again, a day late!

I'm hoping SOMEDAY I will make this link up ON Tuesday! I have no excuses this week. I was on the computer yesterday going through email and really, I forgot about it. Maybe because my hubby was home on Monday or maybe because Poe's posts come to me a day late...I don't know. I really have no excuse. I'm doing it anyway!

I'm linking up with Poe at Many Waters for this great and rambly post. I'm tired. I've been up for almost an hour already and it's not yet 5AM. "Why in the world have you been up since before 4AM," you ask? Well...there is this going on...and it's LOUD:

They had a different attachment on the end a little earlier and it makes my whole house shake. I'm going back to bed (hopefully) when my husband gets up for work. There goes my plans to take him to work and meet for part of a playdate today. I think playdate time will be naptime as my kids aren't sleeping well through this either...and they're both in my bed now. I have NO clue when my son arrived in bed with us, but my daughter woke up about 20 minutes after me, terrified. I've never seen her run so fast from her room. She sat on the couch with me and watched for about 5 minutes before I convinced her to go lay in my bed. Poor thing. I can hear her now struggling to sleep. I feel bad for her. It's going to be a very long day in my household.

On to the link up though!

This week's Top 10 is products! I'm not one to really care much about "things" but there are some things I can't live without. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Washer/Dryer - Yes, I know how to hand wash, however, I think I'd be buying new clothes instead with how much we go through...

2. Stove/Oven - If I had to cook over a fire for this stuff, no problem, I love the convenience though...and it warms the house a little more on those cool days!

3. Crock Pot - How much easier does it get to cook? I love mine on those busy/lazy days!

4. My car - I have a 2010 Honda Pilot. I was thinking of getting a van but then I looked into my friend's van and thought "I have one more seat in here than they have and it's not a big deal for my oldest to climb over the seat if we need to move her to the back row." I can put 6 carseats in my car if I need to. If there are no children in my car, I can fit 7 full grown adult passengers in there and have it be mostly comfortable. This is the car I will have to carpool teenagers around to dances, soccer, dance classes, dates, etc. It's a great car. When we don't have the carseats in, we can put the two back rows down and my family of 4 can sleep in the back fairly comfortably (with just me and the kids, we can do it with just the very back row down!)

5. My iPad/iPod - Technically the iPod is for the kids, but I have my music on it for the gym/running...which I need to get back to. I miss it. I don't think I'd be as happy without my iPad now. I use it as my laptop most of the time. I have a keyboard I can use with it and do on occasion (like when I write a blog post from it). I love the games that I can play, the E-Readers, cooking apps, kids apps, tv apps, etc. I have my bible on it. My church's synod has an app that I have on it. My contacts are there, notes, etc. It's basically my lifeline.

UGH! House shakey attachment is back on and going...so glad I didn't go back to sleep when I was going to!

6. My cameras - I have four cameras. Two I never use (one of those is technically my husband's), out of the two left...one is broken at the moment...that leaves my Nikon D40. I am in no way, shape or form a professional photographer, but I wouldn't trade having a more professional like camera for the world! I grew up using one like this only it wasn't automatic and it was a 35mm (I do not always use the auto on my camera! I like using it in manual). The first real time I was allowed to use this camera was in France. A lot of my pictures turned out like crap, but there were some that were amazing. When I go back, I will have MY camera and be able to take some great photos of some of the things that didn't turn out so great the first time around. I'm excited for this trip. Whenever my youngest hits 10/12 we will be making the trek and we are bringing my parents along too. The first time I went, I was with my mom and my high school's french club. What an experience! I can't wait to do it again!

7. Our Keurig - I don't really drink much coffee, but it makes my tea making go much faster. No longer do I HAVE to boil the water before being able to steep my tea to perfection...I just put my cup under the keurig without a k-cup in it and I have a piping hot cup of water ready and waiting for a tea bag. I can also make a cup of swiss miss fast with it. My husband does make coffee in it, so it's not a complete waste on us. I also enjoy making my iced tea in it on occasion. I love Tazo Zen and Tazo Awake iced. I don't think I've ever had either hot. My hot tea of choice is a good chamomile or Sweet Dreams (I believe it's called that...it's a mint/chamomile combo...I usually only drink that if my stomach is upset).

8. Our TVs - Some days I can't live without it. Today it will be watching my kids if they don't want to take a nap with me. It will be on ALL day today. We just got rid of cable so it's all Netflix all the time until we get Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus (I think we're going to go with Amazon so we can watch some Team Umizoomi!) but it's worth it to have that extra peace of mind that my kids are okay and entertained while I'm sleeping on the couch.

9. Planners/Calenders - I am an addict. Free printable menu planners scatter my house, I usually have 2-3 calenders hanging on my walls in any given year (amazingly I only have one this year!), I have a small calender in my purse and I also have a student planner on my husband's desk for bills/plans too. If there is an offer for a free calender, I usually take it. Any kind of printable, I'll download it and use it. I'm actually searching for a good weekly/monthly calender with plenty of room and lines to do a prayer calender with. One that is pretty and functional along with free (because I really and truly can't afford to pay anything right now). If anyone has any leads for that, please let me know!

10. External Hard Drives - I have a big one...storage wise, not size wise. My husband has the same one, only his is almost full, mine hardly has anything on it. Pictures don't take up much room when you have something this big (It says 1.36TB when I pull it up on the computer). I love it. I also love the cute flash drives...I have a few....A turtle, a monkey and a penguin. I would love to find an elephant and giraffe for the kids...technically the turtle and monkey are the kids' but they aren't allowed to touch them yet. They aren't even allowed near the computer yet unless we're right there and we invited them to be there.

So that wraps up my favorite products. It was hard for me to think of the last few...I actually took the Keurig and camera from Poe because I just couldn't get my mind to think of things. Now let's hope this construction stuff quiets down by 6:00AM like it's supposed to (I'm doubting it! Every time it's been "done" at 6, they haven't stopped working until at least 8!)

Tuesday Top 10 - A Day Late!

So my friend Poe at Many Waters is doing a link up! Tuesday Top 10! I meant to do last week's Autumn Top 10, but forgot and didn't feel I had time while trying to catch up on my email and life in general. I'm pretty stressed right now with the whole government shutdown and all, but more stressed that we still haven't seen our last bonus installment when it feels like everyone else has gotten theirs. Kinda really stressed about that.

Anyway...this week I vowed to do it, and one day late, I am!

This week's Top 10 is TV Shows!

Now...I LOVE TV! I have WAY more than 10 favorite shows, and many of them tie for places in my top 10. Seriously, the shows I watch, I wouldn't watch them if they weren't in my top 10 favorites. I just wouldn't do it...and I really do watch about 20-30 shows on average (I love DVR and we only watch about 2 episodes a night together, and I watch my own personal shows that hubby doesn't watch during quiet time.)

So I guess I could make a few lists. Top 10 to watch with hubby, Top 10 to watch alone and Top 10 shows no longer aired. These lists wouldn't even cover the ones I WANT to watch and just haven't yet...or have watched a few, but I haven't watched enough episodes to warrant it as a favorite...YET.

So let's see...

My Top 10 shows in no particular order are:

(found all pictures on facebook and put them together in Word and Paint)

1. General Hospital - I have watched this show since I was in 7th grade with my mom. If I miss some, it's not a big deal, but I'm happy for DVR so I don't HAVE to miss any if I don't want to!

2. Once Upon A Time/Grimm - These I watch with the hubby...He hates missing them while he's underway because I'll still watch without him!

3. Elementary - This is a favorite, however I don't worry if I miss an episode due to falling asleep or hubby not being home. This is really one I only watch with the hubby.

4. Drop Dead Diva - This is one of my own and I have gotten my mom hooked on it too! Just something lighter to help me keep my sanity.

5. Teen Wolf - Yes, I wrote a whole blog post on this show. It is one of my guilty pleasures and I love it. I have found another lover of this show back in Monroe and even though I'm 3 hours behind her, we got to watch the Season 3 mid season finale together thanks to DirecTV. It was nice to have someone to talk to during commercials and afterward finally.


6. Glee - My husband used to watch this with me and now he doesn't really care. I love the music and dancing. The story line is getting a little middle schoolish for me so I really hope they end this series soon for that reason. It's just getting old and boring, but I just can't stop watching because the music is usually very well done.


7. Doctor Who/Torchwood - Oh yes...I am a Whovian. My husband got me interested in these shows and I think I'm more into it than him some days...actually I know I am...but I'm glad we can be nerds together sometimes. He also hates missing this one because I have no problem telling him about the ones he's missed in emails because I get so excited over it!


8. Covert Affairs/White Collar/Royal Pains - All USA Network and all amazing shows. I watch these with or without the hubby.


9. Rookie Blue - A cop series I only started watching because of Missy Peregrym and have grown to never want to miss an episode.


10. Orphan Black - I almost put this with Doctor Who and Torchwood, but it needed its own place on this list. This is an amazing show and has amazing acting on it. One actress plays multiple clones that are together quite often and are quite different personality/style/accent wise. She deserves multiple awards for her work!


And for the list of honorable mentions:

1. CSI/CSI: Miami
2. Law & Order/ Law & Order: SVU
3. Supernatural
4. The Vampire Diaries
5. Body of Proof
6. Switched at Birth
7. Bunheads
8. Arrow
9. Burn Notice - If they hadn't JUST finished this series up, it would be in my Top 10 list above!
10. Stargate SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis
11. Eureka - LOVE this one!
12. Gilmore Girls
13. 7th Heaven

Thursday Thoughts: Beginnings

Beginnings.

So many things jump into my head when I see, hear, write, type this word. Memories of first things...Birth days, first lessons, first dates, first kiss, first deployments, first time away from all family on a long trip (not just a few days, or a couple weeks at camp with my brothers just moments away), the first time I got a new trick, first steps, first tooth, first curl (yes, I was ecstatic for my daughter's first curl!)

Then there are the not so good ones that I remember vividly too. First heartbreak, first time I found out I trusted the wrong person, first miscarriage, first rumor spread about me, first threat to my life...I could go on, but I think everyone gets the idea.

I love new beginnings...even if they're scary, but I don't like closing the door to the past. I remember way too many things and can't seem to do the "forget" part of forgive and forget.

Today I'm going to talk about the first time I saw my husband and the beginning of our relationship.

I had been engaged to a marine, my best male friend at the time. Things weren't going well, we both knew it, but we didn't want to end it since we supported each other so much and we did love each other, just not in the way we should've in order to get married. I was at college in Monroe, MI and he was on a base in Yuma, AZ. We talked every day, he went out on dates with girls and encouraged me to do the same thing (but with guys, of course!) We were always honest with anyone we would go out with that we were engaged to be married, but we had an open relationship for multiple reasons. I had him call me a few times with a date that didn't believe him and I explained that it was true, he wasn't some dog.

One day I went down to The Cellar (our hangout at the college) to play some pool with a guy I was starting to get to know and kinda liked a lot already, but didn't want to rush things since there was one thing I didn't know if I could accept about him. While we were playing pool, two more guys started playing at the table next to us. They were both kinda dorky (okay...so...I'm attracted to a lot of different types of guys...shoot me! I'm not horribly picky!) but the shorter skinnyish one caught my eye. He would give me "pointers" on how to play or how I could've made my shot better, and I would do the same (except I semi kinda knew what I was talking about...my uncle is an awesome pool player and tried teaching me the right way to play! And I feel weird saying that since the guy I was playing with...yeah he married a pro player!)

I didn't think much about this guy after that until a couple days later when my best friend (at the time) invited me to meet her crush during a friendly outing after choir. I said "Sure!" and invited my friend Evan, who I was hardcore crushing on again at this point...long story...) and his friend to come with me. I get to the restaurant (Pete's Garage) and who do I see? The pool guys. I was introduced to Big Mike first (the tall, bigger guy) and then Sarah's crush, Josh (the one I was attracted to). I immediately make sure to stick with Evan and flirt like crazy with him to keep my mind off Josh and the fact that this is the guy that my best friend likes...so I just can't possibly like him too since she has dibs pretty much. Evan and I had a great night. We hadn't laughed and flirted like that in a LONG time and it felt nice to be so in sync with someone. Josh ended up fishing for answers to some of his questions about me, including if I were single or not. He kind of suspected I was since he had just seen me a few days before with someone else and now I was with this guy. I explained the situation to him about Nick and he kind of just accepted it.

   

The next day Sarah and I were going to go dancing at a club down in Ohio after I just finished dancing for 5 hours at the dance studio I took lessons and was a student teacher at. I found out right before picking her up she invited Josh. I tried getting out of going...but it didn't happen. I was the only one with a car and license. So I picked up Sarah, then we went to get Josh. I called my friend Jason and we went to his house. I told him what we were doing and his friends were like "Hey can we tag along too?" Of course I said yes! We all went down and I danced as much as possible with Jason. I told him what was going on and he basically tried laying claim to me with Josh, talking about how wonderful I was and how he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend and how he's liked me for quite awhile but the timing had never been quite right, but it finally was. We started dancing again then everyone left (including Josh) to get water. I stayed on the floor and saw Jason coming back...but then he stopped and right in front of me appeared Josh. He took my hand and led me to a different room where it was a little quieter, but not much. We sat down and listened to some music then he pulled me into him and started talking into my ear so I could hear. He was funny. I laughed and smiled a lot. He held my hand the whole time, then suddenly, he kissed me.

That exact moment I realized I was going to hurt my best friend but I was going to gain another best friend and life partner. I knew I wanted to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him...and I had only officially met him 2 days before. And almost 11 years later (almost 8 of those married!), he still makes me feel that way with every kiss, every hand hold, every look he thinks I don't notice. I am truly thankful for that beginning.

                               

And my best friend, Sarah? We may not be BEST friends anymore, but she got over being mad at me in about 3 months when she realized how much of a jackass he really is to almost everyone. We still talk sometimes and I'm still happy and proud to call her my friend.