It's That Time Again!

I leave tomorrow morning heading to Washington, DC... Sunday morning is the Marine Corps Marathon!  I am probably about 65% excited and 35% nervous.  This is my third marathon, but this will also be the largest I've ever run.  43,000 people have registered for this race!

I am looking forward to getting to do a little sightseeing in Washington, DC.  The only time I have ever been to DC was while I was in college, and that was back in 2002.  I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see it again.  I am also really excited about the sights I will see along the race course.  I'm going to take a disposable camera with me and try to take pictures along the way.

Well I need to finish packing.  Gotta get up early tomorrow and head to the airport!

Forgiveness

Yesterday at church, we had a guest speaker.  He is a lay leader from a church in the area.  He chose to speak about forgiveness, and as he got started I thought to myself "well this is certainly a topic I need to pay attention to."  I know that I am not a perfect person, and I can easily identify a laundry list of my own faults.  One of those faults happens to be holding onto to something that has angered me or hurt my feelings.  I have a really hard time with the part where you are supposed to forgive and not forget; I need to work on learning how to separate the two.

The part of his message that really spoke to me was a story about a man who had an estranged relationship with his parents and had come to our speaker for advice.  He basically had an attitude of "if they want to reconcile, then why haven't they come to me?"  Mr. Hand told him that he should accept that responsibility and contact his parents to initiate a reconcilitation.  He promptly did, and was able to repair his relationship with his parents before his mother passed away shortly thereafter.  Boy did I need to hear that!  That is an important lesson not only about forgiveness, but about relationships in general.  As Christians we believe "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," but when someone is not treating you as well as you would like, it's easy to lower your standards and not put out the effort that you should.  It got me to thinking that maybe I need treat others better than they treat me.  I just pray that God knows what is in my heart and helps me to be a more forgiving and kind person.

If Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Soul, then are Windows the Eyes to Your House?

Well, it's been a whole two weeks since I had my new windows installed!  Good news: I am still in the front running for Procrastinator of the Year.

So, this is what the house looked like with the old windows - but with the clean awnings :) -

First of all, I'm not really sure why Mama suggested I get new windows.  The duct tape was holding the old ones together just fine.

I didn't do that, FYI.  That has been like that since I moved it.  I'm not sure which is worse.  :/  My mom was nice enough to come and supervise the window installation so I did not have to take the day off from work.  She took a few pictures for me.

Here's the finished product!  I think it looks great!

Now I can't wait to get the next power bill?  (Who ever says that??)

Five Rules to Remember in Life

One of my co-workers sent this to me today.  It was so funny I had to share!

Five Rules to Remember in Life:

1.) Money cannot buy happiness but it’s more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.
2.) Forgive your enemy but remember the bastard’s name.
3.) Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you, when they're in trouble again!
4.) Many people are alive only because it’s illegal to shoot them.
5.) Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk. :)

Jessica's Big Day

My Sissy has been married for two whole weeks!  I can't believe it.  It was such a pretty day, and the ceremony and reception turned out very well.  I am so happy for Jessica & Justin.  Fortunately, my mom took a few pictures with my camera because the "official" wedding photos are not in yet.

Movie Star Kiss!  Just like Carrie & Berger.

Me & Jessica at the reception.

Because I was the Maid of Honor, and because Jessica means so much to me, I wanted to say a few words to honor her on her special day.  This is what I tried to say - although it came out more as a blubbery mess:

Good evening. I'm Joy, Jessica's maid of honor and her eldest cousin. We spent a lot of time together growing up; so much so that we're more like sisters. Like sisters will do, we had our fair share of squabbles in our younger years; often to the dismay of our parents and grandparents. I remember one time, Papa was telling me how I needed to be patient and try harder to get along because we would always have each other and one day we would be best friends. At the time, I remember thinking that I didn't even really like her that much and there was no way we would ever be friends. (haha) But he was right, and here we are several years later and she is one of my best friends.

So I am very honored to be a part of her and Justin's special day. As some of you may know, Jessica is a teeny bit obsessed with Disney movies, so it is only fitting that she has found her Prince Charming. Justin is so loving and kind and thoughtful to Jessica, and it is wonderful that they have found each other. I know we are all very glad that Justin has joined our family. My wish for them is that the happiness that they are experiencing today is just a glimpse of all the good times they have ahead of them.

It was a beautiful today for a special couple.  I love them so much!

The Big TO DO List

If you know me, you know I love lists.  I have lists at work, lists at home.  Lists saved to my computer, my phone and then sometimes I write them down too for good measure.  My lists often have sub lists.  Yep, it's a sickness.  I also wonder if it is a procrastination tool.

These are a few things I would like to accomplish on the home improvement front, and some things that I have already accomplished (just because it makes me feel good to have a list with a few items crossed off):

Replace Dishwasher (2004/2005?)
Replace Roof (May 2007)
Clean Awnings (June 2011)
Replace Windows (August 2011)
Fix Shower Drain (August 2011)
Replace Front Door (November 2011)
Replace Furnace / Install Heat Pump (February 2012)
Replace Gas Water Heater w/Electric one
Replace Shower / Tub in Main Bathroom
Install Shower in Half Bath (Would that make it a 3/4 Bath?)
Install Ceramic Tile in the Kitchen
Clean Out / Organize All Closets
Replace Toilet in Pink Bathroom
Improve Flower Beds on Side & Front of House

So there we have it.  I'm sure I'll be adding more to it, but hopefully I'll be marking a lot off as well.  Wish me luck!

Makeover My Soul

Just as Cher Horowitz decided she needed to makeover her soul, I have decided I need to makeover my... house.  Which I think will have positive effect on my general wellbeing.  I've been in my house for quite sometime, and there are several improvements I have been needing/wanting to make but haven't quite gotten around to.  What can I say, when it comes to procrastination, I got skillz.  Anyway, lately I have following this awesome blog - http://www.younghouselove.com/.  It has really inspired me to tackle some projects around the house.  Unfortunately I was still lacking in motivation.

Yesterday, I placed an order for some new windows.  My current windows are probably original to the house, which was built some 50-60 years ago.  They are the crank-out kind, if that tells you anything.  The new windows promise to be energy efficient (= saving money on the utility bills) and sound-blocking (= no more listening to my neighbor's phone conversations or what she is playing on her car stereo).  I am so excited!  They should be here in about 4-6 weeks, which provides me with a deadline, which is darn close to motivation.

Obviously, I can't complete all the projects in that short period of time (more on the project ideas later).  First of all, I don't have the funds.  Second, I still have a full time job and don't have the manpower.  So my general plan is to get more organized and get rid of stuff that I don't need/want/use anymore.  Having a more organized and less cluttered house will make it easier for the window installers do their job.  

Today's task, however, was an exterior one.  To say I'm not a big fan of outside work is an understatement.  Especially outside work in the middle of summer.  But, there was something that had been nagging me for some time and I wanted to get it accomplished before the windows got here.  The awnings over my windows, which are supposed to be white, have gotten quite grungy over the years.  When we replaced the roof in 2007, we had to take the awnings off so my mom & I took the opportunity to powerwash and repaint the awnings (well, mostly mom). 

So here's the before:

The front:

And the side:

I had a very good supervisor.  Ok, so maybe he's not much of a supervisor, but he's the cutest dang cat I've ever seen.

I used a car washing brush so as not to damage the paint, and a combination of scrubbing bubbles and dish soap.  After what really only added up to a couple hours (maybe 2 1/2) of work, I had this!

I'm not trying to pass it off as perfect, but I think it definitely qualifies for 95% improvement.  I am absolutely thrilled with my work.  I also took the time to weed eat the yard a little.  It has been so dry lately that my grass is not growing but miraculously (sarcasm) the weeds still are.  I feel great about the progress I made today and hope I can stay on that track!