I just read Obama's inaugural address, and I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. It was inspiring to see the things that he had said and just how sincere it was. I am very glad that America could look past the insecurity of having a non-white president and elect this promising candidate. I have confidence that he will do all within his power to do everything he sets forth to do to improve our country.

For the first time in eight years, I have pride and faith in our president.

And even though I didn't hear it live, I have a feeling that he delivered his speech with grace and finesse and didn't add a bunch of nonsensical words, confusing sentences, and in general didn't make the leader of our country out to be that of an SNL skit. :)

People who have differing views can go ahead and bash me for all I care. ::shrug:: It won't make any difference anyway. ;)

It's been three wonderful years, and I'm more in love with you now than I was when we started.

I love you, AJ! Happy three-year anniversary!

Ya know, it's been months and I completely forgot to talk about this:

We own a house. :) We moved in on July 25. So uhh... we've lived there for a few months now. ^_^;

Yeah, if anyone wanted to check it out, feel free to contact me. It's fucking awesome.

I should also add in here, to make an actual update out of this, that my mom's friend from childhood died on Saturday--Julie, who I have known my whole life. I'm sure no one knows her, and this is more just an update for myself, but whatever. She was in a 4-wheeler accident while on her anniversary weekend trip with her husband, Al. The funeral is today, and I'm going to be singing the song I sang at her and Al's wedding, "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krause. This will be the first funeral I've sang at where I've known the deceased personally, and therefore it will be much harder to keep myself composed. Not only do I tend to cry when I see other people cry (especially my mom and I know that she will be bawling), but considering I know the person I will have my own memories and sad thoughts rushing through my head. My only hope is to just blank out my mind while I sing, otherwise I will probably botch it; however, I told my mom that if I start crying, I think people will understand. ;)

It really sucks finding out just how vulnerable you are to losing a loved one. You see others die and you're like, "Wow, that really sucks. I feel bad for their family." When it happens to you, it's almost surreal. When my mom called me and told me, I was struck dumb for like... ten seconds. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to think, and there was a tightening in my chest.

Anyway, if I start typing more and thinking more about this, I'll start crying at work. :P I haven't broke down at work since Kaia died, and I don't want to repeat it. ^_^;

I leave in an hour and a half and took tomorrow off because the funeral is at 6:30 pm in Duluth. We were planning on staying at my grandma's house over night, but my dad is going to work tomorrow so we're driving back tonight. We probably won't be home until well after 2:00 am, so I'm keeping my day off. (Yes, I'm sure I could go in in the afternoon, but the afternoon is the worst part to show up for!)

Well that's it for this... See ya.

Now, I love my job. This must be understood; I really do love my job.

But I swear to god it is SO hard to not go postal sometimes. About five times a day I have to hold myself back from turning around and yelling at Toni, "QUIT FUCKING TALKING DOWN TO ME!!! I'M NOT A FUCKING CHILD!!!"

::sigh:: As Sara has suggested, and I know is best, I just turn around a fume in silence at my computer screen. I don't have a super short temper, but when I get berated for anything and everything three or more times a day, it wears on my patience to the point where I have actually had to leave work ealry I was so angry...

GOD. Is it so hard to ask that I be treated like an equal? Just because I'm not the secretary to a doctor (just two PAs, I guess, is lowly), does that mean that I should be treated differently? Because I can remember things that she doesn't and can't remember things that I'm not fucking TOLD, should I be berated for that?

I am 21 (almost 22). I may be younger than most people in this office, but I am still an adult. Treat me as such, or don't talk to me at all.

The shitty thing is that I like her as a person most of the time--I swear she's just fucking bipolar! She's fine one minute, the next something has tweaked, and then she's fine again. It's one of the most frustrating things in the world to deal with 8 hours a day.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html

The article says:

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High
By Kathleen Kingsbury Wednesday, Jun. 18, 2008

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies — more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October, after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head.

The question of what to do next has divided this fiercely Catholic enclave. Even with national data showing a 3% rise in teen pregnancies in 2006 — the first increase in 15 years — Gloucester isn't sure it wants to provide easier access to birth control. In any case, many residents worry that the problem goes much deeper. The past decade has been difficult for this mostly white, mostly blue-collar city (pop. 30,000). In Gloucester, perched on scenic Cape Ann, the economy has always depended on a strong fishing industry. But in recent years, such jobs have all but disappeared overseas, and with them much of the community's wherewithal. "Families are broken," says school superintendent Christopher Farmer. "Many of our young people are growing up directionless."

The girls who made the pregnancy pact — some of whom, according to Sullivan, reacted to the news that they were expecting with high fives and plans for baby showers — declined to be interviewed. So did their parents. But Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, thinks she knows why these girls wanted to get pregnant. Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally," Ireland says. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.

But by May, after nurse practitioner Kim Daly had administered some 150 pregnancy tests at Gloucester High's student clinic, she and the clinic's medical director, Dr. Brian Orr, a local pediatrician, began to advocate prescribing contraceptives regardless of parental consent, a practice at about 15 public high schools in Massachusetts. Currently Gloucester teens must travel about 20 miles (30 km) to reach the nearest women's health clinic; younger girls have to get a ride or take the train and walk. But the notion of a school handing out birth control pills has met with hostility. Says Mayor Carolyn Kirk: "Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly have no right to decide this for our children." The pair resigned in protest on May 30.

Gloucester's elected school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether to provide contraceptives. But that won't do much to solve the issue of teens wanting to get pregnant. Says rising junior Kacia Lowe, who is a classmate of the pactmakers': "No one's offered them a better option." And better options may be a tall order in a city so uncertain of its future. — With reporting by Kimberley McLeod/New York

------------------------------------------------------

I seriously want to vomit into my shoes. These are the most retarded girls on the fucking planet--and I know it's not the first time that it has happened. The fact that these girls are so goddamn stupid as to think that at 15 they can easily handle a baby?? They don't even realize the hardships of raising a child! The money, the lack of sleep, the exhaustion, the grossness (come on, green diarrhea is gonna happen and you know it), and everything else that it takes to raise a child. I don't have a child--I'm not even pregnant--and I know this! But I am responsible enough (and old enough) to realize all of these factors and make the decision to undertake it in the near future. These girls are not. As the article said, not a one of them is even 16 years old.

Oh, and the part about one of the dads being a 24-year-old homeless guy? When I read that, my stomach flipped. The thought of that... I can't even describe the feelings that I have about that in a 5-page paper let alone a word. The thought of a 15-year-old or younger girl petitioning a mid-20s homeless guy into getting her pregnant makes ME feel dirty...

This can only end badly for their poor, innocent children--if they are even able to carry them to term in the first place.

I can't even.... ::sigh:: I could honestly go on forever about the sickness and stupidity of this whole incident, but I would be saying nothing different than I have already said and that others are already thinking about it. I hope, for the babies' sakes, that those irresponsible and idiotic girls' parents are able to help raising them in any sort of normal manor (but considering they all are apparently hardcore Catholic, that's not looking up, either: "Well, honey, your mommy is a sinner and is going to hell, and your daddy lives on the corner of 3rd and 5th--literally--and eats out of the garbage can. Technically, in the eyes of the Good Lord, you are demon spawn. .... We love you! :D").

Please feel free to leave comments on your feelings about this. I'd love to hear others' rantings/views on this atrocity.

It's going in order. It's not looking up for Sammy J.

Oh such exciting news for AJ and I!

Last night, we put a bid down on a house.

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

http://rochester1.minnesota.remax.com/listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=48417999&#aTop
I don't know how long the link will last on there (hopefully not long!! Hopefully it'll be ours!). Unfortunately, the pictures don't do it justice. You kind of have to see it to appreciate it fully. Too bad the awesome couches and shit don't come with it… :P But the BRAND NEW STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES DO!! Oh goodness…

Anyway, we had seen the house on Sunday and it dwarfed the one we previously really liked.

It is a flipped house owned by the realtor's girlfriend--meaning they bought it low priced (I believe they bought it for $99,000) and souped it up to sell it for more and make a profit. The worry with this is that they went entirely superficial and all for aesthetics while avoiding the inner workings of the house that should be the main concern to home buyers. We know for sure that the electricity hasn't been updated (the house was built in ’57 and they still have the screw-in fuses--not a fuse box). That was one of the stipulations with our bid--closing costs included and they update the electricity before the closing date. It goes for $149,900, but the land area may not be worth that either. There are a lot of things to look at. I believe that we offered around $145,000 (technically more around $141,000-142,000 with the closing costs and electrical fix included in there). The realtor is emotionally invested in the house for sure, according to our realtor Beth. They wouldn't make very much profit off of the house, but unfortunately that's just bad timing. They bought the house and flipped it at an unfortunate time in the market and it bit them in the butt. I feel kinda bad, but it's a good situation for us. :P

Hopefully we should find out today whether or not they accept it or counter bid. It would be SO cool if they accepted, but I'm expecting a counter bid.

I will try to keep this updated on our developments, and if we get the house, we will TOTALLY want to have a new house party where anyone can come over and check it out and hang with us!! AJ will be 21 by then so there shall be alcohol all around, lol!

God... I want this to happen so bad. :)

- Amber

I'm going to be an auntie! Yes, that's right, my brother impregnated his woman. On the bright side, he will be a great dad. I'm actually excited, though. :) Huzzah.

I found out yesterday--on my brother's future holiday of Father's Day.

Random update things:

The other day I was glancing at Facebook (something I don't do too often) and I noticed that Nikki had added Martie to her friends as well. I decided to check if she had written anything on her wall. I go to Martie's wall and see that, lo! there was a message from one Mr. Jehrid Hale wishing Martie a happy birthday (I'm sorry I missed it, by the way, Martie! I was in Albuquerque at the time, plus my memory is absolutely horrible--no joke, the only birthdays I can remember are mine, my mom's, my dad's, my brother's, AJ's, and my pets; end of story).

Seeing that made me feel I don't know what. Made me wonder if they remained friends or if he was just trying to be courteous or to get back in her good graces (or if he already had and was just following up on it) or what. It also made me wonder (combined with the memory that Matt had said that he had asked how I was doing--laugh) if he regrets what he did to me. Not because he had residual feelings for me (GOD no one wants that... especially not me), but because it was an absolutely horrible thing to do to a person--especially someone you supposedly cared about. Honestly, I wouldn't mind speaking with him (probably online or something since I don't really want to do that in person or anything) on the subject or in general. Lord knows he isn't forgiven so to speak, and the things he did are things that can never, EVER, be forgotten, but I'm a person who (most of the time) gives second chances. That, and it's always good to have contacts that you talk to every once in a while. I would not ever at this point go out of my way to contact him, but if he ever did contact me, I would respond. Just something that I thought about when I saw that message on Martie's board.

So I had a computer-filled weekend (with the usual array of feelings ranging from regret to anger to joy). Sean's girlfriend, Dani, had accidentally knocked my laptop off of the arm of the chair while asleep about a month or two ago and had damaged it. It still turns on, but it's extremely temperamental and doesn't turn on when you want it to, nor off. I went into Best Buy to get their best guess as to the problem and a projected cost. The guy sadly told me that he would guess it was a motherboard problem (after hearing the problems I described), which would be between $400-500 to fix. He told me that I'd be better off just buying a new laptop (since it wouldn't be much more than that). Dani had written me a check for $450, halfway between the projected fix-up price, and I had it in savings until I found a computer.

This Saturday AJ and I went to Best Buy to look at computers. We actually saw one that both of us really liked. It was a Dell with great specs (3 GB ram, 250 GB hard drive, Vista, good processor, good video card, etc.) on sale for $699. I wanted it. When we FINALLY found an associate to ask, they said that it was sold out. ..... GREAT. So we went home and checked online. Sold out THERE, too. Sweet. I called Best Buy and asked if they were going to be getting anymore of that model in. The woman said that she should be getting more in and that I could go into the store and pre order it if I wanted. Sunday, we decided to do just that.

We went into Best Buy and went to the computer section. That nice computer I wanted? Jumped up an extra $70 or so. ..... Apparently the sale only lasted through Saturday. Well fuck! I would have BOUGHTEN it yesterday if I could have! Fuckers... Oh well. I saw another one that I liked that was on sale for $549. Great price! Once again it was a Dell, and it was actually the exact same version as the other one except the other one was a "Special Edition." It had 1 less GB of ram and 160 GB of hard drive space instead of 250 GB. Whatever, that's fine. I liked it. There was ONE left. I win! We took it up to the service center and I asked if they could hold it for me so that I could go with my parents to the back of the store and help them look at TVs. Sure thing, they'd set it back there for me to pick up.

So AJ and I go back with my parents to check out the TVs. About 30-45 minutes later, we come back up to get the laptop and head to Walmart. We're waiting in line and I see a woman with a Dell box and a bag on top of it with a guy helping her and talking to her at the computer desk area. I kept looking at AJ and the empty spot where my computer WAS sitting and wanting to say, "I think that old lady is jacking my computer...." She walks off, so does the salesperson (who was a manager), and when we're asked if we need help, I say that we were going to buy the computer I had waiting back there for me. They look around and have no idea where it is. Turns out that old lady fucking DID jack my computer. They sold the computer--the last one; mind you--that I had put back there to buy. Awesome. Needless to say, AJ and I were a little angry. They didn't even put a name with that computer or a note or anything, so someone fucking sold it. Thanks, guys! They find the associate that helped us earlier and, after some running around, he comes up to us and apologizes and told us that they could give us a computer with the same sort of specs (actually, they're better, he told us, which they are) for the price that we would have paid for the other one. Turns out it is a Gateway, which is GREAT! I love Gateways! My last one was a Gateway! And it was originally $699, so I got a $700 computer for $550. Talk about nice. ;) They talked me into a 2-year service plan which bumped it up to $688, but that's still less than the original price of that computer.

I love it. It's shiny, it's fast, it has lots of space, it has an HDMI cable output jack, and it's just fancy. Here's Gateway's site with the specs and a picture: http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668040.php

I am pleased. :)

I get my wisdom teeth removed on Thursday... Huzzah. I have asked my supervisor to tentatively schedule me off for the next day, Friday, just in case I wake up and am just not feeling right to come to work. I think I'll do that. :P So I leave at 2:45 on Thursday and enter a world of pain and needles. Joy.

Anyway, that's all. I've typed to long. ^_^ My fingers are going to hurt now, lol. See ya.

- Amber

We finally got our new kitten, whom we named Chloe.

( Three pictures of Chloe )

If anyone wants to see more pictures of her (plus a few cute ones of Beast), to to my Photobucket Page and check 'EM out. Got some cute ones!

We got her Monday night. I had asked her family if we could pick her up on Monday afternoon. Originally the man of the house (Wayne) said that no one would be home that day, so we agreed on Wednesday; however, after talking to AJ, I called him back and asked how late they would be out. He said that they probably wouldn't be home until around 9:00. He said if I wanted to come and get her at 9:15, that was fine with him, so I agreed to do just that. I went with my mom because AJ had a raid and that way mom could meet her. We are THINKING that it's the same one that we had initially looked at and picked out (can't be certain because they looked exactly the same). Mom noticed that the one we picked seemed a little bit lighter in color and was more fluffy and soft feeling, which I agreed with.

She slept on me the whole way home and her little mews were adorable. Once we got home, though, it was a different story. She saw beast and it was hiss-and-fluff city. She freaked Beast out so much that he ended up walking around and piddling. :P Stupid dog. Yet even with the initial freak out of the cat (he wasn't freaked about her, just about her reaction), he still was relentless in following her, which she did not appreciate. She hissed and growled and reared up at him. She did NOT like him. In the picture I have on here of her looking at herself in the mirror, she was hissing at herself. :P Stupid cat, stupid dog. It works.

Sleeping was difficult. Poor Beast always sleeps on the bed, and that first night he couldn't because the cat would go ballistic. She also, that first night and the night after, enjoyed waking us up early and chewing on our fingers. AJ is such a sissy, though. He complains all the time about getting little scratches. :)

Yesterday was the first day when they were really getting along well. She only hissed at him a few times, but the times she did he was being slightly rough with her, so I say she had good cause. Otherwise, they've been running around and playing. Very nice. Last night she slept on the chair in the living room and I slept all night--yay! God, can't wait for kids. u.u; Anyway, AJ said that they were getting along even better today. Very good.

I think they will be fine with my parents next week while we're in Albuquerque. She can get acquainted better with my parents' cats, too. ;)

Looking forward to vacation! The day is almost over and I am pleased. Can't wait to get home and see my kitty and puppy, put away some laundry, and maybe play some WoW. :) See ya.

- Amber

So if anyone's wondering what happened to Kaia, I will tell the story now.

AJ and I had gotten home Saturday night to find the house a mess. Beast had gone into the bathroom, taken stuff out of the bathroom (now this includes disgusting girly things), dragged them about the apartment, and ripped them apart. The bulk of this was behind the couch. We found out that he had a hiding spot inside of the couch where he took things and chewed them up. We got him out of there and he went in his cage for the night. I had called and asked my dad if he could come over some time in the near future to fix that because we don't like him having hiding spots like that for that very reason (hence why we boarded up the bed so that he can't get underneath it).

Dad came over on Sunday to see if there was a way to fix it. They were looking at things, cutting up cardboard and whatnot. I was getting ready to do laundry (sorting out whites from darks and all that). They had been lifting up the couch to look at the back side and had set it down to get something. They came back and lifted it up and I heard, "Oh no... oh god." I went over to figure out what was wrong. Kaia had ninja-ed her way underneath the couch just before they set it down and had gotten stuck underneath the metal bar bottom that runs in a rectangle around the bottom of the couch. I started crying instantly when I saw her lying there. I thought he might have stepped on her or something.

Much time was spent trying to revive her--my dad was lightly hitting her sides and her chest to see if he could get her breath going again as well as cupping her nose and trying to blow air into it. Her pupils were completely dilated and her body was limp. It was a truly traumatic sight.

Eventually we knew that there was nothing that we could do. In the midst of it, we called my mom and the vet--the vet had said that if she was still breathing, we should take her in, but since she wasn't, there wasn't much that we could do about it...

My dad felt horrible. I know that he blamed himself for it. I don't blame him. Kaia was sneaky. She could have been anywhere in the apartment, but she went there. Honestly, it was her own fault, but I don't blame her either. Kaia was being Kaia. Right now she's sitting in a box in my cousin's shed waiting for the ground to thaw. She will be buried next to Calico at my cousin's farm.

I was inconsolable that day. Through tears I got laundry in about an hour later and emptied the laundry room of the cat box and things because I just couldn't look at it every time I went in there (not that it helped--I still cried every time I opened those doors).

Beast was very calm after the incident. He lay on our lap the rest of the day. He wasn't very playful (which was good, because neither were we...). He still isn't as playful as he usually is. I can't wait till we get another kitten because I don't want this to be permanent. Cinnamon changed after Calico died. Pebbles changed (not drastically) after Dusty died. I don't want the same thing to happen here.

I hope that we are able to get her before the 25th... I hope she's ready earlier. :P

- Amber

Well... it's been a week. And what a shitty week it has been. Sunday I was crying for the rest of the day following the tragic event. Monday I was crying all day at work.

Honestly, it feels like it has been weeks. I had thought on Thursday that it felt like it had been at least two to three weeks since it had happened; it hadn't even been five days.

The only thing that has kept me sane for the past week (and stopped me from crying Monday afternoon at work) was looking for another kitten.

I know that, for some people, it might be too soon. I am in such a state of grief at the moment and I am such a cat person that this loss has affected me more than anyone can even imagine. She wasn't even six months old. For me, it's not a matter of how much time has passed since it happened--I'm not looking to replace her, as I know that is impossible (she was too perfect to replace)--it's a matter getting that old feeling back into the apartment that was so abruptly taken from us.

Ever since we got this apartment, she has been there. For two to three days after it happened, I cried every time I went into the bathroom or into the laundry room (and the day she died, I had to do laundry--that sucked). To this day, I don't like spending more time in the bathroom than I need to, and when I take a shower I usually take Beast in with me. I haven't straightened my hair in a week. Beast has been more calm than usual--he misses her and he's lonely.

Wednesday, I went to look at kittens in St. Charles that I had seen in a Mayo Classifieds ad. I took some pictures and then we went to see them again on Saturday. We picked out one that we like and we will get her in about two weeks when she is old enough to leave her mom. The one we picked out is very playful and cute, and I think she will be adorable. She is white and looks like she might either be siamese or Himalayan, but the only problem is that there are two white ones, both of which are girls, and they look EXACTLY the same. :) AJ might have noticed that the one that the one that we want has a slightly smaller nose (her sister's nose comes out a little farther), but lord knows if we'll be able to tell in two weeks when we get her. THe only thing that we would be able to (hopefully) distinguish is the personality. Unless her sister changes. :) Of course, we decided that if we pick out the wrong one, it won't be a huge deal. :D The name that we have chosen for her, when we get her, is Cytheria (sai-thee-ree-ah).

Anyway, here are some pictures of her. These two were taken on Wednesday when I first saw them (they're the two that I have of just the white ones--there were also three boys: two black and an AWESOME-looking tabby).

( Kitty Pictures )

My hope is that she will be as loving, sweet, playful, and silly as Kaia. But I REALLY hope that she likes to be held and purr, because that is what I love about cats.

Kaia was the absolute most perfect cat that I could ever have had. She purred like a motorboat, she loved to be picked up (she would go up on her hind legs and reach for me), she meowed all of the time, she was playful (she literally did front flips when playing with Beast), she was silly, she liked to curl up and sleep on you, she followed you around, she laid on my face when I was sleeping (that was friggin adorable)... There were so many things that are completely irreplaceable. I know that I will never find another cat quite like her, but I can always hope that we can get another cat with similar qualities (the ones that I loved more than anything--purring, friendly, likes to be held, and playful) who can create her own story in our apartment and with us. If she turned out to be exactly like Kaia, that would be a miracle. I can't hope for that. All I can hope for is another wonderful kitty that makes me happy. We have been blessed and very lucky with our pets. I hope that our luck continues.

- Amber

Kaia
September 6, 2007 - March 2, 2008

I love you so much...

So on Friday, February 1, 2008, we got up at 7:00 am and began loading boxes and other things into my truck, AJ's car, Jayne's Jeep, Josh's car, and Adam's (AJ's friend, not my brother) car. Joe and Nancy and my parents arrived around 9:30-ish. By 10:15 we were at Quarry Ridge Apartments signing the last of the papers and paying our first month's rent. Then began the unloading. My mom and I went upstairs and rolled out the messy carpet to cover the apartment's clean carpet so that the carpet wouldn't get dirty. I stayed in the room and took boxes from everyone else who was brining them in and putting them further away in the living room. That was a while of doing that, and then my mom, Jayne, and I began moving things into other rooms so that they could fit the couches and the ottoman into the living room and spare bedroom.

Joe and Nancy left around that point to go get the futon from their house, and AJ, my dad, Josh, and Jayne went back to Jayne's house to load up the rest of the items (the bed, entertainment center for the bedroom, TV for the bedroom). My mom, Adam, and I remained at the apartment to unpack a few things and straighten the place up for the big things to come in (most, if not all, were for the bedroom).

We had found out at the signing that our Qwest deal was most likely not going to work because Qwest's TV was through satellite (the landlord didn't even know that Qwest offered television) and they have a contract with Vision Systems, which sucks. So we had to figure out what to do about that whole situation (we're currently still working on it and we still don't have television... but we do have internet and phone).

Anyway, after all of the big things finally got loaded in, my parents ordered pizza and we took a food break. Then they started setting everything up and placing everything like the TV in the living room, the furniture, the computer desks and computers, and all of that jazz. My mom and I left to go get the animals from Jayne's house. I felt bad because they must have been so confused and scared—at least Beast was. We had removed everything from the basement so the place was almost completely bare, and the animals were left there alone. They must have thought that we were abandoning them! I'm quite sure that's what Beast felt because after we brought him to the apartment he clung to us like super glue. He barely ever left my mom's arms the rest of the day and he freaked out when someone left (I think that entire first day he thought we were just visiting). The cat, on the other hand, was fine. "Litter box and food? I'm home. I'm going to find something to lay on now." Sean also came over after he got off of school.

After some more setting up of things and unloading essentials, my mom and I went to Walmart to get other essentials—like food. Always good. My mom spent a fortune on us, which I can't thank her enough for because we couldn't afford it... When we got back, AJ's friend Cody was there helping them with computers. The internet was all figured out and awesome. I began putting food away and we had a good time trying to figure out where to put everything in the kitchen. Later, Sara came over to check out the place.

My parents left late at night (they were with us the entire day pretty much) and I ended up falling asleep in the ottoman with the dog on me after playing my games while waiting for the comforter to dry.

Saturday was filled with some more unboxing of things and going out to get a few things that we needed (like a fucking MIXING BOWL, Amber!!). Rielyn came over that night and hung out with us for a while and then Josh was over again to watch Superbad.

Sunday was more relaxing. I played video games and made AJ macaroni and cheese and he played WoW before work. I didn't leave the place except to let the dog out. My parents came over and brought us a few things that we needed still as well as some carpet to cover up the awkward tile stain in the spare bathroom. Josh and Sean came over later that night to watch Spirited Away and Josh stayed over. I finally got the walk-in closet for our bedroom all figured out and all of the books and DVDs on the shelves in our room.

It was quite the eventful weekend. There are still a few miscellaneous boxes to unpack, but for the most part the place is ready and very homey. :) Monday I got to take the shuttle from the apartment directly to Gonda (unfortunately it leaves at 7:20 which is the same time the bus picked me up at Jayne's, so I get there 30 minutes early). We also decided Sunday night that we needed to get Beast a no-barking collar because he is ridiculous and, frankly, embarrassing. AJ got that on Monday and I had to get him a halter because we don't know where his old one is. Then I had to return the one that he got because the $95 piece of shit didn't work. So I returned it and got the $40 one I had originally been looking at (I left the $50 at home and I was supposed to bring it to work today to deposit into the account...). Hopefully this one works. He didn't bark once this morning, and I don't know if that's because he's been shocked or he was just being a good boy.

Anyway, I fucking LOVE our place. We just need to get into the habit of budgeting...

PICTURES!!

( The apartment (plus some cute pictures) )


It looks pretty messy right now because... well... we're still moving, but it's home. I love it, I couldn't have asked for more! Plus, I'm there with my fiance! It'll be tough with budgeting and the high rent, but it will be worth it. Responsibility.

I am happy. :)

- Amber

By the way, I forgot to post the date that has been finalized. :)

August 8, 2009, at Resurrection Catholic Church down by Mayo High School. Hurrah!

Is it sad that I almost cried at work when this was told to me? :P It's weird to find yourself so affected by someones death that you didn't really even know, but it happens.

My best guess is that it was an accidental overdose of sleeping pills as the regular dose didn't seem to work for him (he would fall asleep, but wake up soon after). He probably decided to just take more until he could fall asleep... and it worked. :( He just doesn't seem like the type of person to commit suicide. He was very stable, so I've heard, and stable people don't just kill themselves when they have a 2-year-old daughter.

Heath Ledger, you will be sorely missed.

I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's my 21st birthday (well, was a few hours ago), and I am engaged as of around 6:30 pm on December 15, 2007.

We were at my parents' house having our family Christmas (since it's the only time that we can), and my mom had little stockings on the tree with our names on it filled with candy and $25. I handed out all the presents and the candy stockings, and I took out the $25 so that I wouldn't forget about it or lose it. After a while of opening presents, AJ goes, "So what was in your stocking?" I said, "Same as yours," and went back to looking at others opening presents. AJ picked up my stocking and started dumping out the candy. I'm thinking, "What the hell is he doing?" Then I see something shiny in the center of the candy, and there was the ring. I started laughing and crying and he put it on my finger and happy times.

So yeah. I'm engaged. That's really, really cool. It needs to be re sized (it's a 7 and I'm a 6), so I will do that when I can. If I can get it back before Friday, then I will do it tomorrow, but if it will take longer, then I will wait until after Christmas to get it re sized so that I can show it off to my relatives in Silver Bay!

( Here's pictures of the ring!!!! )

I miss my iPod... :'(

SWEENEY TODD!!!!!! With Johnny Depp SINGING!!!!

I just finished a book (bought it Friday, finished it today), and I highly recommend it. I'm sure most people who would actually read my journal would share at least some of my humor and would enjoy this book as well.

I am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert

Go out! Read! Enjoy! PROSPER!!

- Amber