Today's topic is the most annoying sound ever heard.  And, honestly, it comes from Jamie.  Every time he gets a sinus infection or congestion, he does this disgusting noise with his throat as he hacks up phlem.  OMG...it's so gross! 

So yeah...that's the most annoying noise, EVER...in my opinion. 

Sorry that I've been completely absent from posting for the last few days, but I thought that I'd give you all a slight reprieve.  That...and I was in Switzerland for a long weekend with the hubby, and honestly, blogging was the last thing on my mind.  So, tomorrow we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming with more useless facts about yours truly, but today, I'll write about our trip (which could still be considered useless facts about yours truly, but tough shit).

Switzerland.  Land of...well...the Swiss.  And Swiss cheese.  And Swiss chocolate.  And surprisingly, German language (as well as French and English).  And Rosti...omg...Rosti.  And fondue.  Oh, the food...the glorious, glorious food (and the 5lbs. I gained from said glorious food). 

However, as much as I like to think this past vacation was all about eating, it really wasn't.  Well, it was...but it was also about being outdoors and having an absolutely awesome time!  We went hiking in the mountains, we went paragliding one afternoon, and ziplined down the mountain another day.  We went into an ice palace on top of the Jungfrau, and watched a ton of cows.  Seriously...thousands.  And they all had those really large bells wrapped around their necks.  Something straight out of a photo from 1935. 

So yeah...it was fabulous!  The weather was fantastic.  It was sunny, but cool enough to not feel overheated.  It rained a little one day, but nothing really to mess with our plans.  The hotel we stayed at was nice...we were lucky to get one of the apartments, so we cooked our own breakfasts and a few lunches, then ate out at other times.  Overall, it was definitely a relaxing but fun-filled vacation!  I'll post some paragliding photos once we've downloaded them from the DVD, so you can all see the mountains! 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Today's post is about what I'm doing tomorrow.  Normally, my agenda for a weekday is basically work, laundry, clean, work, make dinner, relax, bed.  Not a lot of deviation during the week.

However...tomorrow is different!  Tomorrow, Jamie and I are packing up the car and heading to Switzerland!  I'm so excited for this trip!  It's just a short weekend trip...we're back on Monday, but I'm really looking forward to getting away for a few days.  Work has been an absolute bear lately, so I could really use a break.

So yeah...that's my calendar tomorrow!  Are you up to anything interesting?

Today's post is about something found.  I'm not going to lie, I don't typically "find" things.  At least, not things that weren't mine to begin with that I had already managed to lose.  I'm not sure if this question is trying to lead me to discuss the time that I found a $100 bill on the ground and kept it (which never happened), or the time where I found a diamond earring at the beach and had it made into a gorgeous solitaire necklace (which also never happened). 

I guess the one thing you could said I found was Jamie.  Where was he, you ask?  Match.com.  Yep, I found Jamie on an online dating site.  I had just broken up with a guy who I'd been dating but it wasn't working out with a few months prior, and I was tired of the old "tried and true" methods of finding guys.  I refused to date the guys in law school because, frankly, my life didn't need twice the crazy (law students are notoriously mental...ask me about the kid in my class who decided to take his AK-47 and shoot at his textbooks laying on the parking lot from his third story balcony...awesome), and I wasn't much into the bar scene.  I worked, and studied, and didn't have a whole lot of time for things in between.  So, I said to hell with it, parted with $30 of my hard-earned money, and signed up for Match.com for a month.  No pressure, just curious.  I found a few guys who seemed interesting, but nothing major.  I never met them...didn't really have a desire to.

Then, about halfway into my second month, I came across this guy.  He wasn't the sexiest man out there, but he was adorable, and there was definitely something that drew me to him.  His profile talked about how he had 11 nieces and nephews and that he loved kids, how he was driven and career oriented, and how he loved being outdoors and photography.  One of his photos had him next to a plane, as he was taking flying lessons to be a pilot.  Another picture showed him with a buddy, and he had the cutest smile ever.  He seemed intelligent and funny, and I thought, "what the hell."  So, I winked at him...thinking that nothing would come of it, and I'd move on with my life.

The next day, I got a message from him.  It was sweet, funny, interesting, entertaining...all wrapped up in a few paragraphs.  I wrote back, and forgot to tell him my name.  He wrote me back, asking for it.  We chatted for 8 hours that night on AIM.  He called me that night to tell me "goodnight."  Over the next week, we probably talked 4-6 hours a night, on average (all after 9pm, when we had free minutes on our cell phones).  I was exhausted in class, but strangely wired as well.  I felt like I was getting to know this person so well...someone I'd never met.  We made a plan for a date that weekend...I met him in a well lit park next to the law school.  After that, we were inseparable.  Something had just clicked for us. 

Four months later...Jamie proposed.  We moved to Japan together, we moved in together, we built a house together.  He saved my sanity during law school, we got married, and moved to Europe for the summer.  We came home, dealt with a new job for me, and the possibility of a long term expat assignment "somewhere."  We got the assignment, sold our house and cars, packed our bags and cat, and moved overseas together.

Through it all, together, we've been incredibly happy.  Not to say that there weren't rough times...but 99% of the times have been amazing.  So yeah...the one thing I've found...the most important thing I've found...was Jamie.  Sitting tucked away on an online dating site...hopefully waiting to find me.

Sorry for my exceedingly high level of slack lately!  I would have posted yesterday, but I was traveling for work and dealing with other issues that cropped up, so it looks like today you get another two-fer!  You're excited...don't lie.

24.  Write about the last time you talked to your best friend.  What did you talk about?

Well, I actually spoke to my best friend earlier today, so that was easy!  We discussed when she was taking her exams for her Physician's Assistant license, which is tomorrow.  We also spoke a few days ago, and talked about how excited we were for her to come visit me in Europe!  T-9 days!!  I'm so excited!  We also talked about some of the activities we're going to do while she's here (go to Paris, tour around the Netherlands, go to a baby shower, etc.).  I'm super excited to see her...it's been over a year since we've seen each other!

25.  Describe a time you felt alone.

The last time I felt alone was probably a month or so ago.  Jamie was away on business and I was dealing with some pretty heavy homesickness.  I couldn't reach anyone on the phone, no one was online to chat, and I was just incredibly bummed.  Bummed about living abroad away from the majority of my friends and family, bummed that Jamie was away on work, and bummed about being in the apartment all by myself.  I was probably PMS-ing as well, so that only adds to the melodrama that I'm so great at.  Otherwise, it creeps up now and again, but luckily I don't really feel "alone" all that often.  I'm great at self-entertaining with a good book, a movie, or some music, so I do alright most of the time.

Well, there you have it!  Another two-fer for you!  Sorry they were so short, but the questions didn't really require me to write a novel or anything, plus I'm getting ready to head out the door for dinner at a fabulous Indian restaurant here in the UK.  Super excited...I love me some indian food!

Sending love to you all, and feel free to answer these same questions in my comment section!  I'd love to hear from you all!

Today, it's all about fixing problems. 

Question:  If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it?   What problem would you like to solve.

Answer:  I would invent a time-freeze machine.  It seems like the biggest problem I have right now is not enough time to get everything done I'd like to.  I'd love to work out longer in the mornings, but I need to get to work as well.  And I could get up earlier, but I'm already up late getting things done that I couldn't do during work.  Frankly, I know everyone out there would like to petition God for a few more hours in the day, because honestly, twenty-four just aren't cutting it.

But then, I think, would I really use it?  If I did, would I be just as busy as I am now, only with more things to do, because I'd have more time to fit more crap into the day?  Would this time-freeze machine really solve any of my problems?  Or is my problem more that I'm trying to do too much and any other sane, rational person would realize just that and maybe, perhaps, you know...cut back on the activities?

So...while a time-freeze machine would be beneficial for the occasional use, it's definitely not for an everyday type thing.  I could see myself filling more and more hours with crap that should get done...and probably a healthy amount of procrastination as well.  Better to use it for things that really matter...like stopping time to run into the street and save that baby just sitting in the middle of the road, in front of a bus. 

What device would you invent?  Would you use it?

Today's blog post is about a time when it seemed like it was all going to hell in a handbasket, but turned out ok in the end. 

I actually don't have too many memories of times like these.  Not to say that I haven't experienced them, but rather that I've either blocked them from my memory, or choose to only remember the happy ending while forgetting shit time it took to get there.  Either way, here's one of the few memories that fall into this category.

The summer after my senior year of high school, I decided to see a dermatologist about some moles that I had on my skin.  About 8 years prior, my father had been diagnosed with various forms of skin cancer, including the worst type, melanoma.  I had been scared to even go to the dermatologist, for fear of what I too would find out (which, in hindsight, was a stupid reason.  but I was young...and therefore stupid.  so, the decision shouldn't be shocking).  I went in and met with my doctor, and the first thing he said was, "wow, you have a lot of moles.  A LOT of moles."  Well hell, that's the last thing I wanted to hear.  The next thing I know, I'm naked down to my undies and he has a purple marker and is a few spots here and there...using a ruler to measure, etc.  And then, the words I'd been dreading.  "I'm pretty sure you have skin cancer...but we're going to do a biopsy to be sure."

So...slice and dice a few places, and off I go.  Another 10 days of hell while I wait for the results to come in.  Then, the phone call.  "You have cancer."  They needed me to come in so that they could cut out more from a spot they biopsied on my bicept.  So, back in I went...and more cutting, cauterizing (the smell of burning flesh is disgusting, let me tell you) and stitching.  No big deal, overall, and they swore they got it all so that I'd be ok.  Just had to come back in 10 days to get the stitches out.

So...it all turned out ok.  Throughout the years, I've had several more cancerous moles removed, but I'm very thankful to have never had melanoma.  The other types of skin cancers are much less dangerous, though can still be problematic if not treated.  I'm incredibly vigilent about not being in the sun now (part of the reason I now pretty much hate the summer), and I go to the dermatologist once a year (which is much nicer than the once every four months I was going for the three years after my first cancer scare).  I wear sunscreen every time I leave the house...doesn't matter what the temperature is or whether the sun is out.  Sad thing is, most of the damage is already done, so we'll just have to see how that plays out going forward.

There you have it!  One of the few memories I have of a situation that turned out A-OK, despite how it looked going in.  Do any of you have a story to share?

Blog post 21.  Wow...I'm honestly shocked I made it this far!  Today's post is about bringing out the "good" in people.  What brings out the good in people, despite the human tendency to be selfish and inconsiderate.

I know this sounds cheesy, but I really feel like kindness and compassion brings out the good in people.  It's so hard to be mean to people who are genuinely nice and compassionate.  I'm not talking about those people who fake it to appear nice to the world, I'm talking about the real, true "niceness" that some people have.  I think if we could all be a little nicer to each other and show a little more compassion for people's situations, that would go a long way. 

There you have it...my way to bring out the good in people.  What do you think works best?

Today's blog post is about our fears.  The ones that wake you up in the middle of the night, sweating and gasping for breath.  The kind that freeze us in our tracks, creating roadblocks in our mind that stop us from accomplishing goals or living life. 

So...as a super happy blog topic, I'm going to talk about my worst fear.  Because, you know...there's nothing like ripping open a wound and pouring salt into it to make you feel truly alive.  But, I digress...

My worst fear is death.  Not just mine, though I certainly don't want to die anytime soon, but the death of friends/family/pets/etc.  I believe in the afterlife/heaven, though I'm not arrogant enough to think I'll be invited in any time soon...I'm sure I have a list of sins that I'll need to atone for before the pearly gates are opened wide for me.  I guess my biggest issue surrounding death is that I have no control over it.  I'm not generally a control freak, but some things really set me off.  Apparently, the big one is the inability to control my own "end of days", as well as the inability to control those of my loved ones.

So...there you have it...my biggest fear.  What is yours?

Sorry everyone, yesterday I slacked.  I had every intention of signing on here and writing up a post from my list, but work sort of exploded on me.  Then, Jamie got home from work, so we hung out and ordered pizza for dinner (since our groceries weren't set to deliver until today, and our fridge was baren), and watched a bit of television, and then I passed out.  All without coming on here and writing for you lovely folks.  I know, I suck at life.

So...to make up for my gross negligence, here are TWO entries for you, all wrapped up in one pretty little package.  I know, I know...you can thank me later.

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First:  Five things I want to see or do before it's too late.

Narrowing down to five things was a big difficult, but here they are, in no particular order:

1.  Have children.  Now, we've not started TTC or anything, so I have no reason to think that I'll face infertility issues, but no one knows that for certain until you start trying.  My main thing about being "too late" is age, rather than infertility.  My parents raised me late in life and it was actually kind of hard for us both.  There was a large generation gap, and by the time I was old enough to do things like softball and track, my dad was getting too old to practice and train with me.  So, Jamie and I would like to have kids before we get much older.

2.  Hike in Glacier National Park.  I really want to hike on a Glacier, and this one is somewhat close to where we live back home (close enough to drive for less than a day, hike for a week or so, then head back home), and it won't be around forever due to the climate changes.  Plus, I really want to see all the National Parks in the US, so this one is next on my list (well...either here or Alaska).

3.  Go to Israel.  Ever since I was in junior high, studying history, I have wanted to go to Israel and the Middle East.  I've posted about this before, but it's definitely on my list.  I'm trying to talk Jamie into going before we move home, since it's so much closer to visit while we're living here in Europe.  Once we get home and have kids, it probably won't be some place we'll be visiting for awhile.  I'd prefer to do it now, while we live here, before we have children.  I'm working on Jamie though...we'll see.

4.  Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Jamie and I had planned on doing this next spring, but we're pushing it off a bit due to other plans coming up.  This is another thing I want to do before we leave Europe, since it's so much cheaper and easier to get to Tanzania from here than from home. 

5.  Find my "passion."  I really want to figure out what exactly I want to do with my life...you know...before it's mostly over.  I want to make a difference somehow, I'm just not sure how that will be.  I really need to do some soul searching, I think, to get this one sorted.

So there you have it, my "five things"...care to share yours?

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Second: Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life.  How could this knowledge have helped you?

Ahh...hindsight.  If only we knew then what we know now.  I try not to focus on this, actually, as it creates all sorts of wants and wishes that will really never amount to anything, because, let's face it...it's the past!  But, for the sake of this question, I shall ponder, then spend the next day or so living with the doubts of life that I've just created.  But only for you, kiddos, only for you.

I wish I would have known more about universities before going off to college.  I'm a first generation college student (even within my extended family...our family just didn't do college), and really had no guidance whatsoever when it came to finding a college, picking a major, etc.  I wish I would have known how financial aid worked, and how there were scholarships out there for just about anything, and that I should apply for everything out there.  I wish I would have known that, just because a major is interesting and fun, doesn't mean that it will get you anywhere in life.  And finally, I wish I would have known that you don't have to use your degree in life...in fact, it's absolutely acceptable to find something out there that doesn't directly relate to your degree, and you'll use what you've learned regardless of what you do.

So, there you have it...my "wish I would have known" list.  How is yours different?