Today's post is about our idols during childhood.  Of course I looked up to my Mom and Dad like most other kids, but I looked up to others as well.  Namely, Shannon Miller, a US Gymnast who went to the Olympics in 1992 and 1996.  She seemed so poised, so graceful, and so beautiful!  I wanted to be just like her when I was older. 

When I was a kid, I was in LOVE with Gymnastics.  I would rent movies from the library of past Olympic competitions and would watch them over, and over, and over.  I sat, glued to the television, during the summer Olympics every four years and would follow all the competitions leading up.  I was also taking Gymnastics lessons at this time as well, so that was really fun.

Even now, I still love watching gymnastics.  I had put in for tickets to the 2012 Olypics in London, but we didn't get tickets for the gymnastics event, which really bummed me out.  We'll still be going to the Olympics, to see the Athletics (Track and Field) and the women's Gold Metal match for Soccer.  Should be a great time, and I'm super excited that I'll be going to the Olympics...and I might still be able to score tickets to a Gymnastics event!

So...there's my childhood idol...who is yours?

Today's blog topic is about a recent travel or adventure.  Since I've already mentioned going to Paris with Libby, I'm not going to get into that.  Instead, I'm going to talk about our next trip that we're planning.

We were thinking about going to the Canary Islands next month, but found that the snorkling wasn't very good, so we decided to scrap that.  Instead, we're considering going to Iceland!  We're not entirely sure when we're going to go, since our first order or business is to find a cat sitter. So, of course...no cat sitter, no vacation.  But, if we DO manage to find a cat sitter, Jamie and I are on our way to Iceland!

So...that's my latest adventure!

Today's topic is about the longest I've been away from "home."  This means something completely different to me, now that I'm married and settled with Jamie. 

When I was in high school, the longest amount of time I was away from home (meaning my home with my parents) was for a week during the summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school.  I was chosen as a representative from our school to go to Hoosier Girl's State, which is ran by the American Legion Auxiliary.  It is a leadership camp that is held at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.  You basically do a week long mock government, with elections and campaigning, and duties as well.  You learn a ton about state and local government, as well as leadership skills.  The camp was absolutely FANTASTIC and I was so lucky to have been involved. 

Obviously, after high school, the longest amount of time I was away from home would be during the semesters in university.  I would go home for the summers, because I had a long standing summer job in my hometown for all the vacations (winter and summer), so I'd stay with my parents.

Once I married Jamie, however, "home" came to mean something different.  As much as I love my parents and will always think of our house as my childhood house, it isn't "home" anymore.  Home is with Jamie...wherever that might be.  The longest I've been away from that "home" was for a month, while he was in Japan and I was in Indiana.  While it sucked, it really made our relationship stronger.  For the most part, we travel together now, but I still travel monthly for work (though only for a few days, thankfully, because it's exhausting).  I'm lucky in the fact that, if Jamie were to get a long-term assignment now, I'd just go with him, not have to stay behind due to classes or whatnot. 

So, there you have it, the longest times I've been away from "home."  I've been away from my home country for over a year now (last visit was in late April 2010), so that's another thing to consider.  We'll be going home for Christmas though, so it's something to look forward to!

How long was the longest time you were away from your home?

Does anyone remember that TV show when we were kids, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"  It was on ABC's TGIF programming, around 8pm.  It was a scary show for kids...I absolutely loved it as a child. 

Anyways, today's topic is being afraid of the dark.  When I was a kid, I used to be scared of the dark if I had watched a scary show/movie before bed.  Even now, if I watch something that freaks me out before bed, and I'm alone in the house, I'll be slightly scared of being in a dark house, all alone.  Otherwise, I can safely say that being in the dark doesn't really phase me.

Are you scared of the dark?

Today's topic is about the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.  Considering I'm mostly just a pain in various people's asses, this doesn't come up too often.  I mean, I've heard plenty of things about me, but mostly their just personality traits:  I'm loud, I'm opinionated, I talk to much, my incessant internal radio is annoying, etc.  Most of the compliments I receive just go in one ear and out the other...because I'm shy like that.  Can't you tell?  Shy, SHY I TELL YOU!

So yeah...nicest thing said about me.  I don't really remember who told me (remember, in one ear, out the other), but someone once told me that the thing they liked the most about me was my heart.  That, underneath my bitchy exterior and harsh opinions that are usually against the grain, I had a good heart and genuinely cared about people.  It was really nice to hear, because I really DO care about people (well...most people...a lot of people...basically, just people who don't piss me off.  But, there are some of those out there, I'm sure of it).  All joking aside, I really do try to care about those around me, and I do my best to listen when they need an ear to vent to. 

I mean...I may SOUND bitchy, but underneath it all, I'm really just a little kitten, crying out for love (with talons for claws).

What about you?  What's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you?

Today, I am officially free of all my loans from Federal Direct Loans with the government!  I paid off my final loans from there, and now only have to deal with Sallie Mae!!!  I'm so excited/proud of myself that I've been able to put my entire salary towards these loans...getting them paid off was a really big deal for Jamie and myself.  Granted...I still owe $74,000 to Sallie Mae, but my total debt load started off at $122,000.  I've paid off $48,000 since May 2009!  I'm pretty darn proud of myself!

We have a goal to pay off my loans within 10 years of my graduation (May 2009).  Plus, when we move back, we only want a 10-year mortgage.  I feel like it's a lot all at once, and can be super overwhelming, but I really think we're going to manage it!  Hells yeah!

Today's blog question asks about the one think you can't live without.  Honestly, I don't know what that is.  I mean, emotionally, I would say Jamie and our relationship, but logically, I know that I could live without him, though it would be very hard.

I could be all serious, and say water or air (which is true...can't live without those!), but I doubt that's what the question is asking, since it would be true for everyone. 

So...I'm going with the one thing I'd rather not live without.  Obviously, Jamie is my number one answer to that, but the second answer would be my hearing.  I listen to so much music, and I play a few different instruments, and I honestly can't imagine my life without being able to hear!  This is especially hard, because I already have genetic hearing loss that is getting worse as I get older, but I take special care to do all I can to preserve what I have and not let it get worse. 

So yeah, I know I could live with being deaf, but I certainly can't imagine it.  So, that'll be my one thing I can't live without: my hearing.  What's yours?

After a brief ten day hiatus, I am back!  This morning, I dropped Libby off at the airport and kissed my vacation good-bye.  Tomorrow...back to work.

The vacation was absolutely fantastic!  Libby and I went to Maastricht (a well preserved medieval town here in Southern Netherlands), then to Luxembourg for the baby shower.  The shower was fantastic...everyone loved the food I made, and the cupcakes we baked were a success!  Then, we left for Paris on Monday morning and hung out there for a few days.  I loved being able to show Libby around Paris...we went shopping and ate tons of French food (including an enormous amount of crepes).  We drank wine, we slept late and people watched, and we had way too much chocolate.  Overall, a great time was had by all.

After we got back on Thursday, we took Friday off to recover.  Then, Saturday was spent in Amsterdam, showing Libby the seedier side of the NL.  We went to the Heineken brewery and had some beer, then we stopped at Sumo for some delicious sushi.  After that, the red light district.  Libby wanted to see what all the stories were about, so we headed to the district to walk around.  As expected, Libby was suitably impressed with the sex for sale, and afterwards we headed home.  Today, she left.  Sad day.

And now...today is the end of my vacation.  Tomorrow, work starts back up, and Tuesday has me heading back to England for the week.  I do not feel ready for this, that's for sure.  I need a vacation from my vacation!

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On another note, Jamie and I have started a "biggest loser" challenge between the two of us.  We've set it at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months competitions.  Each has a bigger "prize" for the winner...and at 6 months my prize is a new jean wardrobe!  Hopefully, I'll have lost at least 20 pounds by then (20 pounds is my goal, more would be even better), so I'll definitely need new jeans at that point.  I'm not buying any more until then, though.  Overall, I plan on being in the best shape possible for next year, for when we start trying to get pregnant.  I realize that at some point, I'm going to have to stop drinking caffeine, but that's for another point in time. 

So...I think that's all for now!  The last 10 days have been crazy busy, so I'm ready for things to settle down some.  I'll go back to my regular postings of my "blog topics" hopefully tomorrow, and update about life when stuff happens (but I'm pretty boring, so you never know).

Hope all is well for you all!

XOXOXO,
K.

So, clearly I've missed the past few days of posting.  However, this time I have a good reason (as opposed to the other shitty excuses that I've thrown out here a few times).  My best friend is here from the States!!!  She arrived on Thursday around noon and we have been super busy ever since.  Friday we went to Maastricht for a little sightseeing and shopping, then yesterday we were in Luxembourg for another friend's baby shower!  Today was the first day that we've really had a chance to breathe since she arrived.

However...tomorrow...we are going to Paris!!!  I'm super excited and I know she is too, so I can't wait to go and show her around!  We're going to spend three and a half glorious days shopping, eating French food, drinking French wine, and seeing the sights of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.  Hopefully, she loves it as much as I do!

So, for the next week or so, I'll probably be missing from xanga.  I'll do my best to read my subscriptions and keep up to date on all of you, but I probably won't be writing much.  I promise that I'll update it all when I get back!  Hope you all are well!

Love to all,
K.

Today's post is all about the first job.  It's actually hard to remember all my jobs, mainly because I started working at 15 because my dad took early retirement to avoid being fired at his job at the factory.  He was 59, and mom was 53, and I was the last child at home.  At that point, Mom and Dad pretty much sat me down, told me that I would need to start working to pay for things that I needed, such as new clothes, book rent, and in my senior year of high school, health insurance.  They just didn't really have the extra money for all the things that I would be needing, especially with their lack of income.  Now, to be fair, they did provide a rough over my head, food, and helped me buy my first car when I was 18, but I knew all the extras were on me.  Obviously, this continued through college, but being 100% financially independent at 18 was a crazy (but super helpful) experience.

So...on to my first job.  My first job was AWESOME!!!  I managed to score a page position at the local library in town, working at the main branch (which was a Carnegie Library).  Beautiful old constuction, marble pillars, stained glass...the place was beautiful and I felt totally at home there.  My job was to shelve books and AV materials, help with circulation...just basic stuff.  But, I loved it!  I got a free library card out of it, which was fantastic (since we lived outside city limits, we had to pay for library cards because our taxes didn't cover it, and the library card was $75 for a year...and honestly, it wasn't in the budget).  So...I got a free library card, no late fees, access to all the materials for as long as I wanted.  It was probably the coolest job ever!  I stayed there until I went away to university, and I was super sad to leave.  I'm pretty sure that job was what led me to get my Master's in Library Science.  When we move back home, I'd love to get a job in a public library...I just feel so at home in libraries! 

So yeah...that was my first job.  It didn't pay much, but it more than made up for it in perks and the fact that my coworkers were awesome and I loved my job.  However, at the same time, I was also working as a Latchkey supervisor for elementary students after school.  That job sucked.  Then, during the summers, I also worked at a glass factory on the midnight shift.  It was another sucky job, but it paid well! 

What was your first job??