mulligan, please.

I can't remember finishing up a weekend and thinking, "Man, I wish the weekend had been shorter, because I'm just dying to go back to work tomorrow morning."

Ideally, I'd like to re-do the weekend. I guess I'll just have to settle for wishing Monday morning was here already.

Friday night wasn't so bad. After my chiropractor visit, we ran to the mall to get my ring inspected (it has to be inspected every six months, or else the warranty expires) and then settled on dinner at Smokey Bones. The rest of date night was spent searching for pet supplies. We had to buy a new litter box, as Bridget has broken hers already (we're guessing by kicking a lot of litter into the gears). Then we also bought a diaper genie for the little presents Henry leaves us 2-4 times per day. CJ was waiting for the cashier to ask us how far along I was. (I apparently married a comedian.)

Saturday morning started off with CJ finding his driver side mirror knocked off his car sometime in the middle of the night. Of course no one stopped by the house or bothered to leave a note on the car. The rest of the day just went downhill from there, so I'll just leave it at that.

I made it to church this morning and had a nice lunch with my friend, Amanda. Then I couldn't get motivated to do anything (I'm really not sure what sort of clothing options I have for the week, actually). I did manage to bake some cookies (out of a bag), pick up Qdoba, and meet CJ for dinner at station (he's been there two straight days, which is partially why I feel like my weekend has been screwy). I was there for three minutes when they got called out on a run, but luckily he was back within ten minutes or so (nothing like eating a taco outside, by yourself, at a fire station). I then went grocery shopping when I got home and got my $142 bill down to $86.

Being stressed this weekend -- unnecessarily, honestly -- has caused a flare-up with my TMJ (which was better, but not solved), so I've taken a muscle relaxer, plan to take a bath, call it a night, and start fresh tomorrow morning.

school days

As many of you know, it's back to school time for the Whiteheads. I can't say we're having the most fun with it -- we can both think of other ways we'd rather spend our time -- but this will help us accomplish our goals and hopefully, move up the career ladder.

I have class one night per week at Indiana Wesleyan. The classes are mostly six weeks in length, with some shorter and some longer, depending on the subject matter. Right now, we're starting out with a basic business course. The first night wasn't a best -- I felt like it was too much like an elementary school classroom with people talking all the time. But the second week was much better, with actual discussion and less chit chat. (Actually, the two girls who talked the most missed the second night, so I'm guessing they decided grad school wasn't for them.)

CJ is finishing up his bachelor's degree in Pre-Medicine and English at Indiana State. It's a drive, but it would have been a hassle to mess with transferring all but 12 credit hours to IUPUI or another school. So he's down there two times per week, just finishing up with his English credits. The only hassle he has had so far (aside from financial aid, of course) is that they changed professors, not classes, so all six used books we bought online are no longer good, and we had to buy a $70 textbook instead. And, before anyone else asks, no, CJ doesn't plan to go to med school, but he would like to get his nursing degree.

Everyone's schedules can be busy in their own way, but I feel like we have a particularly unusual work schedule with the fire department anyway. Going back to school complicates the schedule a bit, so we've decided upfront that we really have to carve out time for each other. So, that being said, if we're scarce this semester, please understand. And say a prayer for us too, while you're at it. :)

With that, I have some work I'd like to get done and a puppy going crazy, so I should close down for now.

lessons learned: garden edition

We've learned a lot these nearly nine months of marriage, but probably one of our biggest lessons was what we shouldn't do with our garden. It turned out looking like this:

These pictures were taken about a month ago, before we gave up. We planted too much, too close, and our garden quickly became a hassle. I spent one Saturday in May de-weeding (not spraying, actually pulling up weeds, roots included) for three hours. I tried to keep up, and then the weeds got the best of me. Then the zucchini plant took hold, and it strangled half of our green beans, most of our cabbage, and actually killed off one rhubarb plant. (And all we got out of it were three inedible pumpkin-shaped zucchini.) And then after that, the summer heat kicked in and we got busy down the line and didn't take as much care of it as we should have. And then after that, Henry got in the garden and dragged his cord through the green bean plants, taking most of the first row with him.

So, lesson learned for next year: less is better.

nevermind.

The aquarium has already sold and is out of our house, so if you were really interested in the aquarium, sorry. I'm pretty excited to see how much we'll save on our electric bill. (Actually, it probably won't make a big difference, since we're using the money to buy a small freezer for our garage.)

Back to watching TV now...

for sale: aquarium

We're selling our aquarium. We plan to put a listing on Craig's List, but in case anyone who reads the blog is interested, here's the info:

Almost everything with the aquarium is going, so here's what you'd get: 60-gallon aquarium with stand, light, filter, heater, bubble maker. You wouldn't want the gravel; it's filthy. But, you'd also get a castle or two, plus plants and some wooden rock things. We'll also throw in whatever chemicals and fish food we have left, plus the little tube used to clean out the tank.

If you're interested (please be interested - I want the space in my living room!), leave a comment with your contact info (if I don't already have it), and we'll go from there. Oh -- and I should probably also note that while it is expensive (over $100), it's still well below the price you'd pay for everything at the store if you've always wanted an aquarium...

state fair by the numbers

0

the number of pieces of chocolate-covered bacon I ate*

1

day spent at the fair for fun

1

missed MC Hammer concert

3

milkshakes consumed over the course of the fair**

6

rows away from Keith Urban***

30

hours worked at the State Fair

1,157

times asked about residential wind turbines****

* I actually really wanted to try the chocolate covered bacon. But, it was $5 and I received reports that the bacon was not crispy.

** I'm trying not to think about that.

*** Okay, I was only six rows away from Keith Urban for about 2 minutes (he had ramps set up and played right in front of our seats).

**** I'm pretty sure this number is higher. After working one day, I already had my stock answer prepared for "How do I put a wind turbine on my property?" This was generally followed by the statement, "I live in the windiest part of **FILL IN THE BLANK** county."

aerodynamic henry

We call this Aerodynamic Henry. I'll admit we pushed both of his ears back for this picture, but in all fairness, we only took the picture because he was walking around the house with one ear back (his own doing).

kool aid drinker?

Last week I reported that I have TMJ. By the end of last week, it felt much better, but by the beginning of this week, it had switched sides. And I've had a headache every day since Monday, and the pain killers, including the prescription-strength aleve, no longer work.

So my choices were either the dentist or a chiropractor. I really, really don't like the dentist. (Rather, I really, really don't like/trust MY dentist.) I've also found that where chiropractors are concerned, people's opinions are either black or white -- I've yet to meet anyone who thinks they're just okay. So once I made my decision to see a chiropractor, I got everything from absolute raves about their chiropractor to "You realize they're not real doctors, right?"

Either way, I went this morning and for what it's worth, he said my neck and shoulders were very much out of line. When I tense up or get stressed, I've always noticed I carry most of it in my shoulders, but I figured different people carry their stress different places. (Kind of like how people carry weight in different places? My own theory, I guess.) Maybe that's why I get frequent headaches too?

I felt better for about an hour, and now the headache is back. But, my jaw is much more in line and my bite is almost back to normal. So really, I don't know whether I made a smart decision or just drank the kool aid...

training henry

Training Henry is all about trial and error, I've found. My guess is parenthood is also like this. We just have slightly different circumstances.

Besides the crate, our newest technique for house training (read: not peeing on my floor) is using a bell. My friend, Emily, trained her dog with a little bell. In the beginning, Emily would tap the bell with her foot whenever she took her dog outside to go to the bathroom. Eventually her dog caught on and now rings the bell whenever she wants to go out. So we're trying the same thing with Henry. Occasionally we get these quizzical looks from him, but he's a smart enough dog that we hope he'll catch on soon.

To combat the biting, we realize we really have to adjust our attitudes. Yelling just seems to spur him on. So we've started to ignore him. (Thanks for the advice, Rachel!) It's easier said than done.

And we've located a training program in Beech Grove, so we're looking to enroll him in that, starting in September.

Unrelated, sort of, but CJ took Henry to the vet today. He's up to 28 pounds already, up from 16 pounds just three weeks ago.

another week down.

Just when it feels like summer's over -- you know, going back to school, September right around the corner -- it roars back with lots of humidity. And just in time for the State Fair too. (I'll be working out there for work at least one day this week, and three days next week.)

We spent part of this weekend at CJ's parents' in rural Knox County. My in-laws have several dogs, including my sister-in-law's dog, Patches, that stays outside most of the time. Part of their yard is fenced in, so Henry and Patches played together a lot. He does really well at my in-laws' -- sleeps under their bed, doesn't get into trouble, no accidents in the house. And the best part was, he was so worn out from playing with Patches that he slept the entire 2+ hour drive back to Indianapolis and then just lounged around the house the rest of the afternoon.

After we got back from my in-laws', we went out to dinner and saw The Proposal (the Five Buck Club is such a good thing). I like Sandra Bullock, but I can't say it's my favorite movie of hers.

CJ starts a driver/operator course at work Monday morning so he can learn how to drive the fire engines (and maybe the ladders too?). Fire engines aren't like cars that you just turn on -- they're incredibly large, for one, but the driver also operates all the spouts, hoses, etc. I'm doing a horrible job explaining this in fire lingo (I'm still learning), but you get the picture.

As I mentioned, I'll be at OED's booths some for the State Fair. This week, I'll be out there the 12th, either in the Our Land Pavilion or in the Normandy Barn, so stop by and say hello if you happen to be there!

And we're looking into obedience classes for Henry. He's getting better with "sit," but half the time when we say "good dog" when he sits, he thinks that means to jump up on our laps. And he seems to be biting more -- still playing, not aggressive -- but that has to stop too. I'm not sure how we will work this into our schedule, but it needs to be done soon.

I need to start one load of laundry and clean up the kitchen a bit, and then I'll be ready to call it a night -- or at least crawl into bed with a book. Hope all is well with everyone.

what's gone on, what's in store

Happy August.

Summer has flown by, and aside from a few big things, I can't really remember what we've done. And, my goal to finish most, if not all, of the 12 or so books I've started, has fallen flat. I have read three books from the library lately, so maybe that counts?

CJ has spent a lot of the past few weeks working. We spent some time at my parents' on Saturday and Sunday, and while I helped my mom can green beans and put up corn, CJ helped my dad and uncle clean out fence rows (fun). He went back up today to help them finish, but they only got to lunch before getting rained out.

CJ starts back up at ISU later this month, to finish up his bachelor's degree in Pre-Medicine and English. Although he finished his Pre-Med requirements ages ago, he's only short twelve credit hours in English. And, to complicate matters, ISU won't offer the last class he needs, so he had to enroll in some expensive online program out in Maryland.

So not only will he be in school this fall, but I'm officially starting up at Indiana Wesleyan down in Greenwood, beginning August 20th. I'll be getting my MBA. IWU has a specific program for working adults, and they offer the degree in two years, going one night a week for four hours each time.

It looks like it'll be a grueling semester for the Whiteheads, so if we don't see much of any of you or look worn down when we do, this is why. Somewhere in there we also have to work in fall softball (for CJ only -- don't get your hopes up that I'll play again) and our small group. So, if you think of it occasionally, feel free to send up a prayer for our sanity this semester.

Let's see, what else?

I ended up at the doctor's yesterday with TMJ. Awesome.

State Fair starts up later this week, and I'll be working there frequently for my office -- August 12th and 17th-19th. So if you'll be out there, let me know!

Henry is fine. CJ thinks he's entering the terrible twos at five months old. We thought he was starting to get the hang of sit, but not anymore. He's also been biting more (when playing) and is extra bouncy. It probably doesn't help that he nearly destroys any toy we give him and that I've had to throw out two of his favorite toys so far.

And Bridget is pretty self-sufficient and while she is starting to come out more when Henry is also out, she's still sticking to our bedroom. So, nothing new to report there.

I think I said I'd make cookies for our intern's last day tomorrow, so I should probably close down and get on that now...