Of Course I Hear Voices: I Own Parrots

I typically do not carry cash...unless it is laundry day or I have just picked up cash *for* laundry day. Even then it is typically the exact amount I need for the laundromat. Yesterday I went to the grocery store...like I do most Mondays. There was someone doing collections for the Salvation Army outside the store. Every year I try to donate at least once but I have to make a concentrated effort to remember to grab extra cash to so. Yesterday I decided to get my meager donation done early this season and made sure I asked for extra cash back at checkout. I wasn't in the store very long, but when I came out, the Salvation Army person was gone. I was just going to hold on to it until I ran into another donation kettle. Then I saw a woman walking through the parking lot. She was near tears, not wearing a jacket, and looked a little distraught. It turns out she was out of gas, and had apparently lost her debit card...and had no way of getting home. She didn't need much. She ju...

This Thanksgiving will be different. 1) It is my first Thanksgiving that I will not be going home. 2) It is my first Thanksgiving without my Dad. I always had hoped that someday I would have a reason to not go home...not in a bad way. I had hoped to meet someone and to have the opportunity to start a new tradition. I have that this year. It will be a little bittersweet to not see my family, but I am looking forward to something new. The harder part will be that this will be my first Thanksgiving without my dad. The year of firsts when you lose a parent is always hard...sadly I know this first hand. We had just made it through our first year of holidays, birthdays and special events without Mom, and not even two months later we lost our dad. Now we have to do it all over again. As much fun I know I will have, I also know it will be a sad day for me. I knew last Thanksgiving, I would never have a family Thanksgiving like the one I had when Mom was still alive. Still, even with...

Today, I really miss my dad. I am not sure why, but today is one of those days where I am constantly reminded of him. On one hand, it is sad. On the other hand it comes at a time where I know I am starting to heal. I have never been a all about me kind of girl. I like taking care of people. I would feel guilty about buying clothes or doing other things for myself. Since Mom died it isn't just feeling guilty. Most of the time I just didn't care about taking care of me. I didn't feel like I had a reason for new clothes...even as lost wieght and my clothes became too big and not flattering. Cheap make up was just fine. Why did I need stuff for the apartment if I never had anyone over. Dad was my number one priority and he was really the only person I cared about. I am starting to care about me again. Losing Dad was hard, and I miss him and I miss him and Mom every day. I will never regret the time I spent making him my life. He deserved it, and more than I had to give. How...

A few months ago, I was faced with a choice. Option 1: Be selfish. Keep pushing what I wanted. Option 2: Be patient. Be a good friend. See what happens. Option 3: Just walk away. Option 1 results: May have had quicker results, but even if I got what I wanted it would probably end with me losing a great friend. Option 2 results: Could turn out great...could be disappointing. No promises, no guarantees and 100% honesty. Regardless, I would still have my friend in the end. Option 3 results: Probably get to keep my friend, but always left to wonder about the possibilities. Keep myself and my heart protected. After a pretty sleepless night on a couch in Anderson, I knew I had to make a choice. I was falling for him despite all my efforts not to. I really had tried. The timing was *all* wrong. I had spent so much time keeping myself safe...did I want to put myself out there again? There were no guarantees...and I had no idea how things would end. Your heart can't be broke...

Yes folks: This weekend Kelsey Officially Becomes a Hammitt. This of course has unofficially on the books for over a year. I met Kelsey on May 30, 2010. My mom and dad had a cookout at the parsonage. My sister had broken the sink, so Mom and I had to use the church's kitchen to make the potato salad. Adam, Amy and Mom were all sharing the CRV. Things were a little crazy, but we were taking the time to get the family together and enjoy the holiday weekend. Kelsey seemed nice, and I looked forward to getting to know her better.A week later she was sitting with us in that maternity suite at Bay Park (they do not use their maternity ward, so they had us staying there after the tornado). She stayed with us all night.  She was there for support when we told Dad about Mom. She was there for us when our lives were a mess. Not just anyone would have stuck around. That alone made her family.  She has been "one of us" in our hearts for over a year, but now Adam and Kelsey are ...

While it does have it's moment's of drama (I'm female...it can't be avoided but I try to keep it in check), my life is really more comedy than anything else. I love to laugh and luckily most of my life has been full of laughter. Ask me anything

I have had my favorite air of jeans for almost 2 years. I bought them on December 26, 2009. My mom knew I needed a new laptop, but couldn't afford to buy me the one I wanted. Instead, she bought me a camera I already owned. That way I could return it and use that money to go towards my laptop. She just wanted me to have an actual gift to open Christmas morning. We went to Best Buy, returned the camera, and she helped me pick out my laptop. Afterwards, she wanted to go to Old Navy. She was going on a mission trip to Mexico as part off her seminary coursework that January and she wanted to pick up a few things. Old Navy had their jeans on sale for $15. Mom and I both bought a pair. I never should have bought the ones I did. They were way too tight (the right size but a slim cut), but I loved them. After wearing them a few times, I knew I was self conscious in them, and for a long time I never wore them. Now, they are too big, but aside from the pair I just bought, they are the only o...

Some lessons learned the mostly the hard way: Simplify as much as you can: It makes life easier Bad things will happen. It will cause drama. How you handle the drama will be a huge piece of how well you recover from it. When your life is a mess, you never know where you will find people and things that help you feel normal again (as evidenced at work today) Just because you want something, even if your reasoning is sound and it is totally understandable, doesn't mean the other people involved have the resources to make it happen.  Cherish the things and people that make you happy People may sometimes surprise you Be observant enough to know when to take things personally and when to just let it go Be honest, but not harsh or hateful. Words..even just texted words (these even more so because they can be looked at and obsessed over time and time again) can hurt break your heart and batter your soul. Sometimes it takes a while to find your place in life...don't give up...

Are we talking new shows or old shows? New Shows: Chuck and Dexter (both don't start until October :-( Booooo.) New shows I am undecided. I have not had a chance to watch my recordings of "new shows" yet (last week was busy...so is this week but eh it happens), but both of those look good. I'm not sure if I am excited about those (I am sort of a TV snob thanks to being a television minor), but those two shows look to be pretty good. I do not really commit to new shows immediately. I usually record the ones I think have potential and if after a few episodes I still like it, I'll keep recording it. Ask me anything

Do I think it is cluttered? Yes Am a initially a huge fan: No Am I angry enough about it to stress about it? No Here is the bottom line: I'm already more of a Twitter fan than a Facebook fan. It isn't like we pay for the service...it's free if anything the developers make money off of *us.* We are users not customers folks. When it comes the the privacy/security side of things I have concerns...but they are all things I hope new security settings will help remedy I'm sure I'll adapt and if it is really that bad I will probably just use it less Uh...it's just Facebook. Remember when we were all addicted to Myspace? It has pretty much gone the way of the Dodo and we are all just fine. Someone else will come up with a bigger/better/shinier networking site and we will move on *if* things get bad enough.

I know...I've already told you why I love fall...but today I really am ready for it. 1) Fall Leaves    2) Halloween 3) Halloween Decorations 4) Good Times With Friends 5) A reason to wear boots again 6) I dress for fall year round...and I am ready for some new cute jackets 7) No more being judged for wearing long sleeves and jeans 8) My office temperature will be "just right" for a couple days 9) The cockatiels should theoretically stop mating 10) It will be crock pot season again

This post is brought to you in part by Mama Kat's Writing Workshop: Twinkie Delight This is a recipe my mom actually stole from her college roommate. It is super simple, but it was always a favorite at any potluck, awards dessert....etc that we took it to. My brother actually used to tell other people it was gross so that there would be some to take home. What you need: 2 boxes of twinkies 2 boxes of instant pudding (any flavor...if I am making it just for me: butterscotch making it for other people I go with half chocolate half vanilla) at least 1 container of cool whip a big bag of your candy of choice (the original recipe is heath bar, but I always use reeses pieces...because I love peanut butter) a cake  pan How you make it: Cut enough twinkies in half long ways Line the bottom of the cake pan with the bottom half of the twinkies. Put pudding on top of the twinkies. Add a light layer of cool whip Put the tops of the twinkies on the cool whip Cover the twin...

This is a busy week for me. I have lots of errands and things on my plate. Knowing this, I made a plan for the week, prepped a healthy dinner, and thought we were good to go. Yesterday: was insane, but stayed on target Today: My cell phone battery has been worrying me for a while  now. It would take a little to long to charge, stop charging in the middle of the night, and the battery would die quicker than I thought it should. At some point last night, it stopped liking wall chargers, and car chargers completely. It says it is charging while connected to the USB cord, but it isn't actually charging. I've done the troubleshooting thing. Nothing has worked. That means instead of what was on the agenda for after work: I have to go to a repair store, get a new battery (although the provider has already comped the battery), and have them see if it is more than a battery issue.  I made an appointment, but still that throws everything off. They have you make appointments an...