What Is Your Love Language?

In honor of Valentines Day, take this quiz to see how you like to be loved.
Get your significant other to take the quiz too!

http://www.greaterquest.com/LoveLanguages.asp


My Scores:

Score	Love Language
4	Words of Affirmation
10	Quality Time
6	Receiving of Gifts
4	Acts of Service
6	Physical Touch

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means one-half hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome (This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - which is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' -- that will bring on a 'whatever'.)
(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU!
(9) Don't worry about it, I've got it: Another dangerous statement , meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking, 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response, refer to # 3.

~~~

Uber-Awesome Wife

Finally...... I won the UBER-AWESOME WIFE Award....at least my husband says so.

I always fret about what to do or get my hubby for birthdays and holidays because he is so hard to buy for. Seriously. If there is something that he wants, he just goes and gets it. He doesn't really have many hobbies; for the few hobbies that he does have, he already has all the gear he needs or wants.
So this year I went out on a limb and created a day for him to do something that he had mentioned on occasion that he thought would be fun, but never took the time to do anything about it.

Before we headed out for Bobby's birthday dinner on Friday night, I gave him his gift. He unwrapped the box with intense curiousity. Inside the box was a jersey, goggles, and a pair of gloves.... He looked strangly at the items and said, "this is stuff for a dirt bike right?"
I just smiled.
With a confused expression he asked, "Did you get me a motorcycle?"
I replied, "Now that would be a silly thing for me to do, wouldn't it?"
He quickly agreed.
So as I explained to him that I had rented him a dirt bike at a trail park near Marble Falls, his eyes lit up and he was smiling from ear to ear.
He exclaimed, "So that's what I'm doing all day tomorrow!!!"
I went on to tell him the best part was that a few of his friends would be going with him. Two guys who already have dirt bikes, and two more who had rented as well. He was just like a little boy on Christmas morning who had just got exactly what he wanted. He then opened up the big box that I had hidden. He pulled out the full set of dirt bike gear and could not make himself stop smiling.
That smile lasted through dinner and for the rest of the evening......

For his birthday dinner Bobby chose a French place in downtown Austin that has been around for many years, but neither of us had ever tried. Chez Nous is very cute and cozy (read small) so if you want to try it for dinner, get there by 7:00. We did and got right in, but it is known to have a wait most nights. Oddly enough, it is very popular with the grey-headed crowd. First of all, I can't believe that many older people put up with the ridiculous, non-existent parking in that area. Second, this restaurant is located next door to a sex shop, and across the street from the infamous Coyote Ugly. Just one of those factors alone would be enough to deter any grandparents I know from frequenting that restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, no matter how magnificent the food.
The food does deserve to be mentioned. For apps we had a salad and some salmon pate, both tasty. I had the delicious salmon special....I gobbled down the large serving with no problem. Bobby had a tenderloin steak, and even though he said it was a bit overcooked for his taste, he cleaned his plate. For dessert we shared a chocolate mouse....YUM!

After dinner, we stopped at the Thirsty Nickel for a drink and reminisced about his big milestone birthday party just one year before.... (good times!)
Then we headed home. Honestly, I think Bobby was just excited to get home and try on all his dirt bike gear. :-)

Saturday morning Bobby bounced out of bed and jumped in the shower. I was nearby brushing my teeth and I heard him giggle. I looked at him and asked, "Did you just giggle?"
He smiled and said, "I'm going dirt bike riding today."
I replied, "So that was a giggle."
He just kept smiling.

One of his friends came to pick him up and drive him out to meet the group. They had venison breakfast tacos and headed out for their day of adventure. About 8 hours later they made it back to our friends house where all the wives had been happily hanging out for the day.
We heard all their stories about the cold, the wrecks, the races...they laughed at each other all night. Bobby's smile had apparently been contagious because they all had grins from ear to ear all evening.
We had a feast of wild game, all kinds of dips, and birthday cake. We got competitive playing couple games and ended the night with missing drunk husband (thankfully not mine). The husband was eventually found and we all headed home to crash after a long day.

Sunday morning Bobby got up at 5:00am and headed out to go hog hunting with another group of friends. For which he caught no crap from me, because I met some friends for brunch to celebrate one of our girls completing her first 1/2 marathon. Then we spent some girl time at the mall, and somehow I managed to leave with just one item: the Twilight soundtrack :-)

When Bobby got home from his Sunday adventure he told me that I win the Uber-Awesome Wife award. I am so happy I was able to both surprise him and make him so utterly happy.

Well Crap.....now how the heck am I ever going to top that?!?!?!
~~~

Home Sweet Home

I am so glad to be back.
Why does that seem so strange? I just got back from spending a full week with the most wonderful man in the world.....WITHOUT readily available internet and crackberry service. All we had was each other's company for our week in Costa Rica. That really was the best part.
My husband and I really bonded and learned new things about each other. At the beginning of the week I predicted that we would be reading each other's minds by the end of our vacation, and I was right. Proven by our finishing each others sentences and speaking to each other using only our eyes. I am not kidding.

It was a really long week, and I will go into detail about it over the next few days. For now though, I have a ton of emails and work to catch up on. AND, I need to collect myself and thoughts about the previous week before I can write about it all.

I really missed my dogs, my family, and my girlfriends!!!
Ladies, I am really looking forward to our party on Thursday, I hope you are too!!!

!Pura Vida!
~~~

To Breed Or Not To Breed...

my ramblings...

Bobby and I had a quick, but thought provoking conversation over dinner last night. I am not even sure how it came up, but he absolutely pegged the feelings I was having. He shares my worry and anticipation.

I worry about being a Mom. Will I be a good one, or just completely terrible at it? I already feel too busy...never enough time to finish all the projects I've already started. Not to mention all the ones I want to start and haven't yet.

Am I too set in my ways to change my lifestyle as necessary for a child? I have been living my life for me (and screwing it up) for over 30 years, how do I start living my life for someone else (and not screw theirs up)?
I appreciate my quiet evenings at home surfing the net, or watching TV, or reading a book....that will be gone for many years. I appreciate my alone time with Bobby...how will that be affected with a new edition?
I love to shop and get a high buying new clothes or things for the house. There are still so many things I'd like to get for the house, and home-improvement projects that we've talked about doing for awhile. Will that all fall to the wayside? I know priorities shift, but those things are important to me too.

Will there ever be enough money, or will it be a constant struggle? I've seen the dollar amount they attach to the price of raising a child and it freaking scares me! How do people do it? We are fine financially, but I still get grounded from Target from time to time...and Bobby feels that we are never putting enough in savings.
And then there is this... I really want to give my child/children everything. Everything. My husband & I have already begun that battle. And it doesn't look good for my side.

Will I regret it? Will I always wonder how our lives would have been different if we had not fallen into the trap of thinking we had to pro-create?
Worse than that......Would I regret it even more if we don't have children?

Is it even fair to bring a child into this world? Is it completely selfish not to?

My feelings about this are pretty much on a non-stop roller coaster and they have been for awhile. The highs and lows are not daily or weekly...each turn of my feelings lasts much longer than that. Usually something gets in my head to cause the change in direction.
Obviously I am currently in the questioning phase... It just so happens that I will be spending some time with a friend and her 6 month old this weekend. I wonder if that will change my direction again....or put me deeper in my current phase...

I think if Bobby was super excited and completely sold on the idea of having kids then that would most likely sway my feelings. Problem is, he is not. He has the same worries and questions I do, and he goes through his own phases with this.

Since we are now both in the same phase, maybe we are making the right decision by going to church on Sunday. It might be best to take this to a higher source.
~~~

the long and short of it

aaaakkkkkk!!!!! My hair is shooooooooooort!
I haven't had my hair this short in about 10 years!
I went to my hair appointment yesterday afternoon unsure about what I wanted to have done, but not happy with my current mid-length 'do. I told my hair guy that the only thing I was sure of is that I wanted some darker low lights....as far as the cut I didn't know if I wanted to just trim it to grow it out, or cut it short.
I picked through the salon's magazines for reading material as my highlights set. The only "hair" magazine they had was a short hairstyle one. While looking through that magazine something hit me. It is a reality that I have known for a long time, but never really allowed myself to believe...
I will NEVER be the chic with the long beautiful wavy hair. My hair is not meant to be long & flowing. I have tried and tried to fight it, but when my hair gets to about shoulder length it stops growing and just gets stringy and frizzy....I know that doesn't even sound possible, but that is what it does. Not Cute.
So right then and there I decided to "own it"....to own my hair and learn to love a short style. My hair guy was happy and agreed with my decision. Upon completion I looked in the mirror and was pleased. My hair looked much healthier, shinier, and smoother.
Now.....all I wanted was validation from my hubby. Earlier in the week, I had been talking about my upcoming hair appointment and I had asked his opinion on the length. He first said he didn't really care, but after further pushing by me he said he thought he liked my hair longer. Is this something that is ingrained in men's brains from birth? Long Hair = Hot Chic? Bobby also told me that he was unsure how short hair would look on my round face. Good point.
I walked in the house a little nervous about his response, and of course he noticed immediately. He turned all the lights on to get a good look. He smiled and said that he really liked it. Whew....relief.
Even later that evening while we were sitting on the couch watching some TV, he must have been further evaluating my haircut. Out of nowhere he said "good call on the hair cut". Being a girl, instead of just leaving it at that I questioned him further. He told me that if he hated it he would probably not tell me he hated it; rather he would just try to avoid the topic. I believe him when he says he likes it. He is right, he wouldn't lie...he would avoid. Same thing on the "does this make me look fat" question. ;-)
~~~

Do You Really Know Your Partner?

When they say: "Go out with your friends. Have a blast."
What she means: I could really use a night alone to wax my upper lip, watch Monk and eat that bag of Chips Ahoy I've got hidden in the pantry.
What he means: Next time I want to go for beers with Kyle, remember what a flexible guy I am.

When they say: "Those girls/guys are totally checking you out."
What she means: What she means is: If you look back I'll scratch your eyes out.
What he means: You'd never cheat on me, right?

When they say: "I don't want to talk about it now."
What she means: I'll blind side you later when you think I've forgotten all about it. Then we'll talk it to death.
What he means: I don't want to talk about it....ever.

When they say: "What was your ex like?"
What she means: Was she prettier than me?
What he means: Was he better than me in bed and how much money did he make?

When they say: "Did you pick up the dry-cleaning?"
What she means: Do I have to do everything around here?
What he means: What do you do all day, anyway?

When they say: "I really missed you."
What she means: Did you miss me?
What he means: I realized how much I really like you.

When they say: "I'm not looking to get into a long-term relationship right now."
What she means: I don't think you're the one so prepare yourself to get dumped.
What he means: I'm only available for casual sex.

When they say: "Are you close to your family?"
What she means: I'm available to meet them this weekend.
What he means: Have you talked about me yet?

When they say: "I just don't know if we have chemistry."
What she means: I'm not attracted to you. Never have been, never will be.
What he means: Let's see what happens if you lay off the Ben & Jerry's for a few months.

When they say: "I only have a cell phone number."
What she means: You can't have my home number because I might screen you.
What he means: You can't have my home number because I'm married.

When they say: "Do you want a mint?"
What she means: Your breath stinks.
What he means: Do you want a mint?

When they say: "Let's split the bill."
What she means: I don't like you and I don't want to owe you anything.
What he means: This definitely isn't going to work out if you order an appetizer and dessert every time we go out.

When they say: "nothing" is wrong.
What she means: I need to punish you a bit longer with the silent treatment before letting you have it.
What he means: The sound of your voice is giving me hives. Can you PLEASE just let me watch TV in peace?

When they say: "I meant to call but it got too late."
What she means: I wanted to watch Oprah and you're boring on the phone.
What he means: I was having such a good time I didn't even think about you.

When they say: "Call me after the party."
What she means: I want to make sure you're home, sober and alone.
What he means: I want to make sure you're alone.

When they say: "We need to talk."
What she means: You're failing me again. Let's discuss.
What he means: It's over.

When they say: "I really want a small wedding."
What she means: Just the family and 160 of my closest friends.
What he means: Let's fly to Vegas.

When they say: "Do you like camping?"
What she means: Do I have to pretend I like sleeping in a tent?
What he means: Are you low maintenance?

When they say: "I don't want anything for my birthday."
What she means: This is a test of your creativity, thoughtfulness and commitment to our relationship. If you do not get me a birthday present, you will never be forgiven.
What he means: I'm feeling old and a little sorry for myself.

When they say: "What's with all the shopping bags?"
What she means: Are they for me?
What he means: I'm not made of money.

When they say: "I never got your message."
What she means: Just admit you forgot to call me back.
What he means: I forgot to call you back.

When they say: "I'll just have the salad."
What she means: I'm on a diet again.
What he means: I was too hungry to wait so I grabbed a burger after work with the guys.

When they say: "I don't cook."
What she means: Expect nothing from me on the domestic front.
What he means: My mom is a great cook. I hope you are too.

emailed to me from USA Network.....go figure.

love those Chihuahuas!

I don't care how bad the critcs rip this movie.....I still want to see it!!!
In theaters today - Oct 3!

Of course my wanting to see this movie has nothing to do with having 2 chihuahuas of my own.... But in having my own little princesses, I do know that chihuahuas absolutely have quite the personalities. I think this movie is really going to make me laugh! It just so happens that my friend Madison is just a crazy about her own chihuahua as I am about mine. So we will be laughing our heads off (hopefully) through this movie together. I wish we could take our chihuahua girls along.....

For those people who don't like chihuahuas, well...you have never had one of your own! In fact...the husband is proof of that. He never really cared much for small dogs...that is evident by his choice in his own 2 dogs: Red Nose Pit mix and Australian Cattle dog.
But his perception about small dogs has completely changed since the girls and I moved into his world. Even his dogs seem to like having the 3 of us around. Many times I have caught the husband loving on one of the chihuahuas. His favorite is Fancy...the old one (13).

In fact...that leads me to a story about when the husband & I were first dating....
....Hang on.....I am tired of calling my husband "the husband" so let's give him a name. Hmmmm, I think we will call him Bobby from now on.
Yep, Bobby it is.

So back to the story.....
Before Bobby came over to my apartment for the first time I felt compelled to "warn" him about my dogs. This is what I told him...
I have 2 chihuahuas, Fancy & Penny. Penny is the younger one and a little heart stealer....she is super friendly and loves everyone. All you have to do to have her love forever is throw her carrot and purse and maybe rub her tummy a little. Fancy is completely the opposite....she is old and set in her ways. She will come out to see who you are and possibly get close enough to sniff you a little. Once Fancy decides that you are not an enemy she will go back to her bed and you probably won't see her again for the night. IF by chance she is unsure about you she might growl or possibly bark for a bit and will act timid around you. I tell you this just so you won't get your feelings hurt when Fancy does not warm right up to you. I am sorry, but that is how she acts around all new people.
As I suspected, as soon as Bobby walked in the door Penny wanted to be his best friend. But to my complete surprise, Fancy came out smelled him and stayed at his side for most of the evening. She took to him immediately! I promise....She has NEVER done that to anyone but me - the first time I met her.
I think that is when I knew...Bobby was the man for me. :-)
~~~

Awesome Husband!

I have such an awesome husband! He had my entire BirthDay planned out.

We got up yesterday morning and he told me to dress for kayaking after breakfast. Original plan was breakfast at Kirby lane, but an hour wait was not cool, so we improvised....7-11 for some powdered doughnuts and chocolate milk – my favorite BAD breakfast! YUM! YUM!
At Town Lake we ate our sugary breakfast then rented a 2 person kayak. We tooled around for awhile talking and looking at all the Turtles. It was nice and relaxing.

After a stop at home to shower and change we went to lunch at Eastside Cafe on Manor Road. I had never been before…I had heard the cafe has great food, and I was not disappointed.
My husband gave me a beautiful watch for my b/d so we went to the mall to have the size adjusted. We shopped around the mall for awhile (Plan C) since it was too freakin’ HOT outside for Plan A or Plan B. I guess he thought it would be a little cooler yesterday than it was.
Then we went to SoCo...walked down the street for a bit, but not many stores open since it was Labor Day, so we headed home. After a few minutes to relax we changed for dinner.
Dinner was at Green Pastures – WOW - SO AMAZINGLY GOOD!!!!
We were exhausted and stuffed after dinner so we went home and crashed!

The day was incredible…mostly because we just took the day to hang out together. :-)

~~~

I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!

Let me start off by saying I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

Today I turn 33.....WOW! I can't believe it myself, & I am pretty certain my family can't believe it either. Time Flies.

I stole the idea to blog about "stuff" from a friend of mine - Madison. She has been blogging for about 3 months now and her blog is my favorite site to visit every morning...I never miss it! So sometime in the last few months while getting to know my friend through her blog, I decided that I could do this. Maybe some of my friends would want to read my blog as much as I love to read hers, or maybe they would at least get to know me better through random thoughts about my life, or maybe not. Either way, I thought I would give it a try and see if it becomes "therapeutic" for me or just a pain in the butt.
I have never been good about keeping a journal. Every New Years I think a journal would be a great "resolution" for me, so I start them and then forget about them. So yes, if you want to know about my life in January of every year, I have that documented...it’s the other 11 months that got lost along the way... Whatever. C'est la vie.

So let’s get back to my birthday...my FAVORITE day of the year....yes even as I get older. I thought that as I got older I wouldn't want to celebrate my birthday like I used to, but that has not been the case at all. A friend of mine said it best when our group of girls was gathered to celebrate her birthday...
She told us that when she was growing up her father hated birthdays and never wanted to celebrate his own. On one birthday she called him up and told him that even though she knew he didn't want to hear it she wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday.
On this particular birthday his health had deteriorated due to cancer, and his reply surprised her.
He told her that he had it all wrong all his life.... He told her that birthdays should be celebrated; they are a gift from God to celebrate another year on this earth. Another year to celebrate your life. Her father died shortly after that.
My friend will never forget the words her father said and shared with us her feelings - Birthdays are important occasions and should always celebrated and shared with your friends and loved ones.
Needless to say we girls could not fight back the tears in our eyes in that moment we shared. We toasted and I think we all secretly vowed at that very moment to always celebrate each other’s birthdays in a big way.
I guess it was more of an affirmation that our celebrating each other’s birthdays for the last year was important and appreciated and necessary.
Soon after her birthday, we changed our strategy for birthdays...but that's another topic for another day...

I remember when I was turning 23...I can't believe its been 10 years!?!?!?!
I remember specifically thinking on that birthday:
What a great age! 23! Just the right age so people won't say "oh, just barely old enough to drink" anymore. Too Funny. Honestly, I was quite a knock-out at 23...its funny how you don't realize it at the time...

So now I'm 33...I thought I'd be much "further along" in my life by this age. You know, a couple of kids and a mini-van....like the LeeAnn Rimes song "Something's Gotta Give." I especially thought that song fit when I turned 30....before I met my husband. (Even my Mom thought it fit me...she is the one who told me about it.)

awww...That takes me back to my 30th Birthday...what an important birthday in my life that was!!! To start my 30th BirthDay: Sky Diving over the North Shore of Hawaii! To end my 30th BirthDay: the major breakup of a 3+ year relationship (THANK GOD!) Possibly a topic for another day...

Now I don't want you to misunderstand and think I am not perfectly happy with where I am at this point in my life...in fact, its quite opposite.
I have NEVER been HAPPIER with my life! EVER!
After a long, broken road I finally married the man of my dreams! The people that know my husband know he is Not Perfect, BUT he is absolutely PERFECT for me. On one hand I think: I don't know how or why but somehow I finally hit the jackpot in the love department. But on the other hand I think: Hell, I have done my time on that long road of bad relationships and I freakin' deserve a good one to finish out the rest of this amazing life with! More on my wonderful man later....

Another thing in my life that has never been better is my circle of girlfriends. Truly.
I have never been able to keep relationships going. It always seemed one-sided and friendships really take two to make them work. Most my friendships broke down because I got tired of always being the one making the effort. Of course there were some that ended for other reasons...but none of those are important enough for me to re-visit.
My Girls Group is unbelievably amazing! It's really crazy how we all ended up together, but now that we are...I really think we will be friends forever. (If that sounds cheesy...I don't care!) I will absolutely blog more about my Girls in the future!
Last but not least, my family. My family helped to shape me into who I am today and I am pretty happy with that person, so I have to give them a little credit ;-)
My family has been through some rocky times, but today I can say we have all reached a point in our relationships that we are comfortable with, and for that I am glad.

~~~