There are 2 things that I really want to do: 1) learn sign language and 2) speak fluent French. Now, I dabbled with both when I was in high school, but I haven't done much of either of them since then. Th problem is, where can I find the time to learn both languages? Moreover, where can I go that will teach me for free? Sometimes the local YMCA will teach classes like these . . . I will need to investigate further. I've also decided to look more seriously at the local transportation system within our fair city. Charlotte has many city buses and a tram system that provides public transportation to almost anywhere in the Queen City. Since we are temporarily operating off of one salary, it is imperative that we cut costs wherever possible. For the last month, Chris has been dropping me off and pickng me up from work (as we are currently down to only one vehicle in the family). This has been such a treat and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have him do this for me! However, the trip is rather far and we're using twice as much gas as before. On a normal day, it's a 45 minutte trip from our house (in Concord) to Uptown Charlotte. But if there's an accident or construction, it can take up to 1 1/2 hours just to get to work. Then, once I finally get to Uptown, I have to park 6 blocks away from the office and walk almost a mile (in all weather conditions) just to get into my building. There's a good reason for this . . . the waiting list for a parking spot for all business professionals who work uptown is 2 years or more, not to mention a monthly fee of at least $100 just to park your car all day. So, in protest, I park in a little cement lot 6 blocks outside of the city that only costs $75/mo and is currently available to me now. The sacrifices we make!!! I can't complain too much, though - the walk to and from work is rather nice (not because it's such a beautiful atmosphere - far from it, actually - but because of the excercise it adds to my otherwise too busy schedule to excercise! So, in essence, if I take the bus from Concord to work everyday, automatically we will save money on gas and parking. It will still be somewhere around $100/mo to ride the bus (since it's dual-county), but we'll be saving hundreds in gas/parking - so it must be worth it, right? It's so frickin' expensive to live in Charlotte!!! I'm beyond ready to move back to Raleigh where life is slower and more affordable (though growing less and less everyday according to my dad).
Yesterday I began our Spring cleaning! I love when this time of year comes around - though it would have been a tremendous motivator if the weather actually felt like Spring yesterday! I began with cleaning out and re-organizing all the cabinets/drawers in our house. What a feat! It's amazing how much stuff you can collect and stash in inconspicuous places, then forget that you put it there, only to find it a year later in your spring cleaning! I threw out a bunch of old stuff and it feels so good!!! I LOVE to clean - it's very therapeutic for me - and I've needed a lot of "therapy" lately! :)
Happy Spring!!!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
21 Rules To Live By . . .
1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
5. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slowly but think quickly.
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
15. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
19. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
21. Spend some time alone.
2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
5. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slowly but think quickly.
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
15. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
19. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
21. Spend some time alone.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Michael Buble Concert
Last night, Michael Buble was in concert at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, and we had tickets to go! It was such an amazing night! Chris picked me up from work and we drove in to Southend (not far from uptown) to have dinner at Woods on South restaurant. Afterwards, we bought our tickets at the train depot to ride the tram into the city for the concert. This was our first attempt with the new LYNX tram system that recently opened up back in December. This was certainly the most economical way to go. Instead of paying anywhere from $10-$20 in event parking then having to walk a couple blocks to the arena, we just simply jumped on the train a couple miles outside of the city and it took us right up to the arena drop off. And the best part is that it only cost us $2.60/ea round trip - plus we didn't have to sit in any traffic! SO cool! Michael's opening act - Naturally 7 - was amazing. They totally impressed me and I found myself really enjoying the opening band . . . which, if we're all honest, nobody really cares to see anyways. Every sound that you hear is made from their mouths alone - no instruments whatsoever!
Then, it was time for Michael . . . oh my goodness - he was just as amazing as I expected him to be! Probably the best concert I've ever been to. He performed all my favorites . . . "Me and Mrs. Jones" "Song For You" "Fever" "Save the Last Dance" "Home" "Everything" - he did them all (and then some). All I can really say is, if you ever get the chance to go see him perform live . . . DO IT! It was SO worth the cost of the tickets!
Hope you enjoy the videos below from last night's concert :)
Then, it was time for Michael . . . oh my goodness - he was just as amazing as I expected him to be! Probably the best concert I've ever been to. He performed all my favorites . . . "Me and Mrs. Jones" "Song For You" "Fever" "Save the Last Dance" "Home" "Everything" - he did them all (and then some). All I can really say is, if you ever get the chance to go see him perform live . . . DO IT! It was SO worth the cost of the tickets!
Hope you enjoy the videos below from last night's concert :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
What A Weekend!
So, this was a very big weekend for us! My sisters and I have been planning a surprise 50th birthday party for our parents for the last 3 months. Saturday (3/8/08) was the big day! First off, my sister, Harmony, and her beautiful family came into Charlotte on Friday night from Alabama. She and I went to see a movie after dinner and got to spend some much needed one on one time together. That was really nice. We ran a couple of errands Saturday morning, mostly picking up some of the last minute party items . . . cupcakes, flowers, etc. By lunchtime we were packing up our cars and headed to Raleigh. We got in about 2:45 and then the fun began! We spent all afternoon setting up and decorating for the party. By the time the food was delivered we were all famished and ready to eat - but we had to wait till the party began! At around 7:00 pm, the guests of honor had arrived. Needless to say, they were very surprised (and still a little speechless)! They got to see some old faces that they haven't seen in quite a while - it was a wonderful reunion for them. We got a lot of the "big" moments on camera, so I'll add those to the blog as soon as I upload them. We ate, danced, played games and mingled all night - they had such a great time! The last 3 months of hard work, preparation, and trying so desperately to keep this event a secret (even to the point of lying at times) really paid off in a big way and we couldn't be more pleased with how well it was received. "Happy 50th Birthday(s), mom and dad!"
On a much more solemn note, we found out on Friday that our insemination procedure was unsuccessful. We're kind of at a standstill at the moment because we just really aren't sure what to do next. I think we're gonna take a little break for a while and try to live life without being consumed by this "condition." Maybe we'll try round 2 in the Spring. Please keep praying. This not knowing what the problem is or how to fix it is really taking its toll on us emotionally. We're both just pretty fed up with all the disappointment - we need some relief.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. This weather has been beautiful lately - only 2 more weeks until Spring! I'm looking forward to longer days and more sunshine!
On a much more solemn note, we found out on Friday that our insemination procedure was unsuccessful. We're kind of at a standstill at the moment because we just really aren't sure what to do next. I think we're gonna take a little break for a while and try to live life without being consumed by this "condition." Maybe we'll try round 2 in the Spring. Please keep praying. This not knowing what the problem is or how to fix it is really taking its toll on us emotionally. We're both just pretty fed up with all the disappointment - we need some relief.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. This weather has been beautiful lately - only 2 more weeks until Spring! I'm looking forward to longer days and more sunshine!
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