Leaves

Well, I was SO proud of myself last Friday because I raked up ALL the leaves in our front yard, put as many as I could into our yard waste bin, and put the rest in piles. Then, we left for the weekend to hang out in Spokane with the families, and to my dismay, came back on Sunday to this:

And as you can see, there are still PLENTY of leaves left on the trees. Luckily, I have a great husband who raked all these leaves up on Monday before I even got home from work! Whew.

Oops

Whoa, it's been a long time. I guess I've been busy at work, when I don't feel like I should be, mostly because we're doing so poorly in football, and because basketball hasn't started yet. I thought that going into this year, I would feel HUGE releif, and the job would be easier than last year.

On the contrary! I've been feeling much busier than last year, which I guess is partly due to my giving myself more work, in the name of "improving the program." Good for me. But enough about work.

Other things are much more interesting. Going to Spokane this weekend to see both sets of parents, who we haven't seen in quite a while. Going to watch the WORLD SERIES, where the Phillies won game one yesterday, and I am quite literally praying that they continue to win, for the sake of my husband's sanity.

Also going to Costco this weekend (I love Costco) and picking up leaves in the front yard for the 2nd time this year. The sad thing is that if you look at my trees, they don't look like they've lost any leaves. (sigh)

But I love fall! The apple cider is in the grocery store. My favorite!

Advice part 1 - the everyman.

You can never have too much good advice. There are some little tidbits below - some are kinda adapted from my mom, others are from websites and books I've read.

* When someone is drowning, don’t jump in after them. Find a branch.
* If you’re in a contest, you have to find a way to be different than everyone else.

* If you’re lost in the woods, follow a stream downstream and you’ll find houses.

* If you think something might need to be ironed, it probably does. Iron it.

* You can certainly have everything you want out of life. It just might not be all at the same time.

* It’s not what you make that makes you rich — it’s what you spend that makes you poor.

* Stand up for what you believe in until you are proven wrong. And if you are proven wrong, accept it gracefully.

* Expect to succeed. And expect to work for it.

* It’s easier to stay out of trouble than get out of trouble.

* You can’t please everyone. Some people will complain even if their ice cream is cold.

Goals

Goal #1: Stop watching so much TV, and invest my time in something more meaningful (like reading and learning to be a better cook)


Reality: I love TV. Pathetic as it may be, I look forward to some of my shows (CSI, The Office, Ugly Betty, Project Runway, Gilmore Girls reruns, Heroes). I think the realistic goal is to only watch the TV I really love, and to stop watching the junk (America's Next Top Model, The Hills, etc.). I can do that.


Goal #2: Improve my housekeeping skills. Specifically, to develop a weekly schedule: clean the whole bathroom, clean the floors, clean up the yard, and change the bedding, every week.


Reality: Hard as it may be to believe, I really have gotten better about this in the last few years. I'm especially good at getting my laundry done weekly. The truth is, I'm a happier, more relaxed person in a clean environment. So that is my motivation to complete this goal.


Goal #3: Update Jeremy's and my wardrobe. Since he lost so much weight, and all my work pants have "issues," like too short, or saggy crotch, or too big.


Reality: I'll probably just pick a few pieces here and there, since the stark reality is that I can't afford the full Banana Republic/JCrew wardrobe that both Jeremy and I would love. Here we come, Old Navy.

Whoo-Hoo WaMu Friday

Washington Mutual went under yesterday, being bought out by JP Morgan Chase. I worked as a teller for WaMu for about a year and a half, and it was an okay job. It was job #2 of 4 in Pullman, and of the four, I can probably say it was the 2nd best job I had here, mostly because of the people. I love those WaMulians!

But as a result of my working there, all but one of Jeremy and my personal financial accounts are at WaMu, including checking, savings, mortgage, and a Roth-IRA. So it was a little scary when Jeremy shouted from the living room "WaMu collapsed!!" Of course we are protected, all our money is safe, and we are now JP Morgan Chase customers.

Long story short: I heart the FDIC.

The death of a theory

As you saw in my last post, I needed a hair cut in a dire way. My theory for the last couple of years is that "a haircut is a haircut, whether it costs $10 or $40."

So when I moved to Pullman, I tried Fantastic Sams (because that's where my mom always took us as kids). These places are usually franchised though, so you never really know what you're gonna get at your local "economical chain salon." I only went to the Pullman Fantastic Sams once, because I sat there the whole time thinking I was going to contract some horrible disease from dirty scissors.

The only other cheap-haircut option in Pullman is SuperCuts, which for the most part, has been pretty respectable. I never have to wait too long, and the ladies are always friendly. Plus, they sell great products and offer a "Buy 10, get 1 free" punchcard. I'd say I've been there about six times now (apparently I don't get my hair cut enough, since I've been here over four years) and have had about three good experiences.

The last two times, though, are enough to break my theory of cheap haircuts like a Michael Phelps swimming record. Every time I go, I try very hard to explain exactly what I want, and every time, I end up with something completely different. Both the ladies who've botched my hair have been very kind, and given me relatively cute haircuts. The problem is that these cute haircuts were definitely not what I asked for.

Yesterday I asked the girl to cut one inch off the longest layer of my hair, and to give my layers a very short trim, just to get rid of the dead ends. I ended up losing almost four inches of hair in some places, and I left there with a completely different shaped haircut than I wanted.

So I am officially in the market for a good hair stylist in the greater Moscow-Pullman metropolitan area - someone I can develop a relationship with, who will listen to me and actually understand what I'm asking for. I guess my days of the $10 haircut are over.

Just a few things

I don't feel like I can form cohesive paragraphs today, so I'm doing bullets.

* Yesterday I did a back handspring at cheer practice. I was scared, but it went well and made me feel young.

* The weather is GORGEOUS. I don't remember the last time it was so warm in mid-September. I love it. I'm hoping it holds until Saturday (game day).

* I made it back safely from Texas (the storm came in about 90 minutes after we left).

* My brother-in-law is okay, but his apartment in Houston still doesn't have power.

* Today I appreciate my parents more than ever, the fact that they are healthy and happy, and close to me. I'm trying to help a friend through the sudden death of her mother, which is an emotional rollercoaster.

* I need a haircut (see photo).