Happy 2011!!

Will post New Year's Resolutions and an update tomorrow! Off to the hot tub after celebrating a German New Year in Harmony, PA...on German time. The ball dropped at 6 PM and I was home before the drunks hit the road!

Be safe but have fun!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Soxy is Usually D's Dog, UNLESS...

I am sick. Soxy would not leave my side for the week before and during Christmas. I had the stomach virus that was going around and, unlike most, it lasted for over a week, not just 24-48 hours. Soxy was right by my side, no matter where D went, she was with me and if she went after him, he knew something was wrong and he needed to come see me. Now, when D is not home, Soxy is my shadow, but usually I can't get her attention if he is around. She is a very good doctor!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

To all of my friends and readers:

I wish you a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends! May Santa bring you everything you want and may you remember the true meaning of Christmas!!

Smiles,

I Think I'm Ready for Christmas...

Presents are bought and wrapped
Tree and house are decorated
Sweater is bought for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Cards are mailed...finally!!
Snow is falling; weather is too cold
Ham is bought for Christmas morning. I get to host my family's Christmas celebration this year; am excited but sad because I get to host because my Mother has pneumonia and shouldn't be doing anything until she heals completely!

What are your plans for Christmas?

Still Time to Exchange Christmas Cards...

I am still dragging my feet on this holiday assignment. Everything else is pretty much done, but I just can't get motivated to write out my cards. So please post a comment...with email...if you would like to exchange Christmas cards and I will email you so that we can exchange addresses.

Much holiday cheer...and Christmas joy,

Update on Life...Again

It seems like all I do around here anymore is post bulletted lists of updates on life. Once again, that is what I have come to do...

• Still working on my proposal...so thought I'd be done by now.
• Have the inside of the house completely decorated for Christmas...now if it would quit snowing long enough for me to put up the outside decorations.
• Have not even thought about writing up the cards for this year...so you have time to get on the list if you'd like one. Just email me with your address.
• All presents that have been purchased and received have been wrapped; still waiting for a few to come in the mail.
• Have my 3rd or 4th cold of the season, already...sick and tired of being sick and tired.
• Missing D, but he has one more trip this year and then I get him at home until after New Year's.
• Spent my Black Friday with my cousin's, as always. Had a great time! Took my niece this year, it was an adventure.
• Finished cardiac rehab and felt great; working out with my neighbor once I beat this cold. It hurts to breathe normally, not going to over-exert myself right now.
• Soxy is mad at me as the tree is up in her favorite room, and I had to put the baby gate up to keep her out. Not that she would intentionally damage the tree, but her tail has a mind of its own; and she seems to have no control over it.
• Spent Thanksgiving with D's family, but stopped at my parents on the way home. It was nice to see everyone.
• Mom is really sick, D is out of town, as is my brother, so it is up to my Dad to take care of Mom, check on me, and check on my sister-in-law...as that is what my parents do.
• Am making a New Year's Resolution now to blog more than 1x/month!

What is going on with you? How is your holiday shopping and planning coming?

Update

Just a quick update on life...

D travels basically 4 days a week for work; usually flying out Monday and coming back Thursday. However, on weeks he's not travelling he gets to work from home!!

I have been working hard on my dissertation proposal...still not done, but getting there.

Soxy is still the best dog ever!!

Going through cardiac rehab and I am definitely the youngest person there; however, it seems to be helping.

Sigma Delta Phi 90th Reunion

We had such a wonderful time at the reunion! Catching up with old friends; making new friends; meeting all of our sisters!!

I need to thank my dear husband for being so kind as to take all of these pictures even though I pretty much abandoned him for the evening as I chatted. Thanks D, I love you!!

Old Friends...Good Times

Last night I had dinner with three friends. Doesn't sound like any big deal, does it? However, we determined that I hadn't seen or talked to the one girl in 10 years and the other two mainly in passing at events; nothing too in-depth. We met at 6:00 and I left around 10:30. It was so great to catch up with my girls. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them last night. I hope this time we can keep in touch...gotta love Facebook as this is how we got back in touch with each other.

Percocet = No Focus / No Motivation

Wow, my hip doesn't hurt right now, but my focus and motivation is shot. I was given a prescription for Percocet yesterday and although the pain is gone, I cannot focus at all. I need to get my focus back as I have a literature review to write by Thursday.

Life, in Bullets...

 because an actual post would be too long.

- did not go on vacation because of a death in the family...not at all upset about it, just saying.
- did fall down the gravel hillside and thought I was dead...not dead but still really sore and black and blue
- working on my dissertation proposal, getting closer to being done
- spending the week at home with D...getting some things done
- got the hottub and LOVING it!!
- D had a birthday...he is now in the 40 club with me
- did coat the deck with a neat, non-skid product and it looks like new...still have the vertical surfaces to do
- took Soxy to the vet and got a clean bill of health...first time that she didn't have an ear infection in a while

Story of my life in a nutshell; what are you all up to?

Inspirational New Site in "Other Places to Visit"

I just read an article about "Operation Beautiful" and think it is a fabulous idea. I have added the link to my "Other Places to Visit" section. One lady has started a revolution and anyone can join in. Just leave an uplifting note somewhere for a stranger or strangers to find...it will make their day.

Check it out!! I will be taking post-it notes with me on vacation as I stop at Reststops on the highway and in different places that we visit.

Busy Week...No Motivation

I have a lot to do this week in terms of research, writing, and cleaning my house. However, I am not feeling 100%...I think it is a sinus infection or allergies...and therefore I am having trouble concentrating. I have a meeting for my proposal tomorrow morning and I have not gotten near enough work done on my revisions.

10 Commandments of Dog Parenting

once again, found over at Lucy's Human...

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me - it is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I HAVE ONLY YOU.

5. Talk to me, Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice when it's speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll NEVER forget it.

7. Before you hit me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting old and weak.

9. Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it" or, "Let it happen in my absence."

Everything is easier for me if you are there.

Remember, I love you.

I Rescued a Human Today

I read this over at Lucy's Human and totally had to share...I know that somehow Soxy rescued us!




I Rescued A Human Today
Author: Janine Allen CPDT


Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Vacation Booked!!

Four beautiful days in Cape May with D!!! We will be there for his 40th birthday so, if anyone is familiar wtih the area, can you suggest somewhere nice to celebrate?

I have been to Cape May twice before but this is D's first trip. I can't wait for him to see the beauty that is Cape May!!

Proposal Turned In...Relaxing Weekend

On Thursday afternoon I submitted a draft of my proposal to my Dissertation Director. Now I am just waiting for feedback from him.

Thursday night our neighbors came over and we listened to the Jimmy Buffett concert on XM while drinking margaritas and eating cheeseburgers. It was a lot of fun.

Friday we relaxed...Saturday we did some running...Sunday we visited D's parents and grandmother. It is always nice to visit them and Grandmother loves to see Soxy.

All in all a good weekend...long weekend.

Today, however, sucks...I am on Day 2 of my migraine and the pills don't seem to be working today. AUGH!!

Great Time at the Lake...

 I had a fabulous time with my family last week / weekend, but I am now paying for it. As our annual trip arrived I had not completed my proposal as I had set the goal to do . My cousin, her husband, and her daughter came up the Saturday before and I was too busy playing with her daughter and catching up with her and her husband to do much work.

The reunion was great, except for the fact that I'm an idiot!! Seems I put sunblock everywhere but on my chest. Saturday I realized that my chest had blistered like crazy. Luckily, my cousin is a nurse and told me how to treat it and not to worry too much.

All in all we had a great time laying by the pool, hanging out as a family, and doing a bar crawl. Can family reunions get any better than that?

Here is a picture of all of the girls in the family...in our cool t-shirts my cousin designed!

And because we hadn't taken our 5-year anniversary picture yet, we also did that at the reunion, in our cool t-shirts.

As always it was a fabulous time with the family. I'm already missing everyone.

Update and New Sweetheart!

Down to just two things left to accomplish on my To Do list. It's the last remaining item on the list--finish Proposal--that might be a killer for me. I hope to pack tonight as my cousin and her family went to see Niagara Falls today...and will be staying there tonight instead of with us as they have been since Saturday (hence, the need to clean the house so badly). I have fallen in love with her daughter and want to keep her after the Family Reunion.

Off to work on the Proposal; will pack when D gets home as Soxy doesn't like me being in the attic which is where my suitcases are.

Here is a picture of my cousin's daughter, having jelly toast at one of my favorite diners.

Before Leaving for the Family Reunion...** An Update

I must:

- Clean the house
- Do laundry
- Pack
- Finish my proposal for my dissertation
- RELAX

I leave next Thursday...do you think it can be done? I'm having my doubts...but will try.

Better Than Expected...Trying Again

OK, if there is anyone still reading, I could use some bloggy encouragement and love.

I did better on my list yesterday than I thought I would, so I'm trying it again. Today I hope to:

1. Dust
2. Do laundry
3. Empty the dishwasher
4. Work long and hard on my proposal...maybe even email it off to my Director
5. Relax with D when he gets home from work.

Plan for Today

Maybe if I put it out there on the Internet...I might actually be productive.

1. Get milk
2. Get grass seed
3. Vaccuum
4. Straighten / Dust
5. Finish and submit dissertation proposal...REMEMBER it is only a DRAFT and there will be revisions!!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Please take a moment to remember those that have risked or lost their life defending our freedoms! Also, take a moment to thank their families for giving us their loved ones for any amount of time.

God Bless America!

Happy Anniversary D!!

Five years ago today I married the most amazing man I have ever ever met! I am so happy that he asked me to be his wife. Thank you for standing by me through my PhD work and all of my medical issues. You truly are the love of my life and my best friend!! I love you, D!!

Newest Addition to the Family is Here!!!

My cousin gave birth to her daughter last evening...somewhere around 7:30 pm...she was 8 lbs 13 0z and 20 inches. Mom, Dad and baby are doing great!! I hope to meet her tomorrow. I wanted to give the parents a chance to rest as Mom had been in labor since 3:00 that morning.

Weird Comment Issue...Can Anyone Help?

If anyone is using Blogger and can help with this problem, I would greatly appreciate it. I am receiving comments on my posts, but the comment counter is not changing. For example: my "Final Countdown" post has two comments but the counter still says 0...any thoughts?

FINAL COUNTDOWN

Well, today is June 15...that means only 12 days until my 30s are over. It hasn't really hit yet, either that or I really just don't care...not sure which.

Great Time at Baby Shower for My Cousin

We had a great time at the shower! Monica looks so great!! Em did her usual fabulous job with being the hostess and the food was fabulous.

All of those that attended the shower will be receiving a copy of this photo as part of your shower favor; I hope you all remembered to take your frames! :-)

Thanks to all who travelled to make it to the party!

New Blog Dedicated to My Dissertation

Just an FYI if anyone is interested in the progress of my dissertation, or my research, I have started a new blog specifically for that project so I don't use this blog solely for my research and bore the majority of my readers. The new blog is http://kristinsdissertationblog.blogspot.com/; join me if you would like. :-)

Keeping the Blog Alive...Dropping the URL...

Hi all,

I will also be posting something to this effect on Twitter and Facebook. I am not going to renew therapyfailed.com as I don't blog enough to pay for the name. However, I am keeping the blog alive at http://therapyfailed.blogspot.com/. I hope to add more content in the future, as I know I have been a slacker, but please update your link if you haven't changed it over already.

Thanks,
Krush

Family Weekend...Nothing Productive Accomplished

This weekend was spent with my family. It was a good weekend, but things did not get done. Saturday found us up early and taking Soxy for a walk. Then I spoke with my parents and we were going to stop over there after breakfast to drop off some stones my parents wanted...also, it was my Dad's birthday, so we wanted to visit.

Before we even got our breakfast, our landscaper called and wanted to stop by and clarify some things for the work he is hoping to start this week; so back to the house we came. While we were waiting on Cap, our neighbor's daughter saw us and wanted to come play with Soxy. Since he was trying to spread mulch and she was having so much fun, I kept an eye on her while he did his yardwork and D talked to Cap.

Around 1:00, we originally left the house at 9:30, we headed to my parents and dropped off the stones. We visitied for a while and wished Dad a happy birthday and then we were off and running.

Sunday found us at my cousin's for her son's First Communion. It was a nice party and we got to see the family, including my Jeff's wife whom we hadn't seen since Jeff's funeral...she looks good. After that we came back home to let Soxy out and make sure the storms weren't too rough on her. Then we turned around and headed back to the South Hills for dinner at my parents' for Dad's birthday. We headed home shortly after 7:00 and spent the night working on the computers and watching TV. Overall a good weekend, but my final grades still aren't done for my classes which ended on Friday.

How was your weekend?

Burnt Out...Need a Break

I feel like I have done nothing but grade papers this semester. I need a break. So, why did I agree to take a summer class to teach?

I need to get moving on my proposal, but I am so burnt that I can't even focus. I need a vacation from school!!

So Excited...

After months of reading and thinking, my Director has finally given me the go-ahead to start writing my proposal for my dissertation. This must be approved before I can start writing the chapters. Now the fun begins!!

5 Years Ago...

D asked me to be his wife...the best decision I ever made was to say yes!!

I love you more today than I did the day I said yes! I hope that I have done nothing to make you regret that decision. All my love +2 weeks!!

New Car

Well, new to us. D and I purchased a Volvo S60 today. Here is a picture from the dealer's Website. I got to drive it home. I LOVE it!! Too bad it is supposed to be his car. ;-) 

Guilt, Sunshine, and Dog-Induced Coronaries!!

I have been very neglectful of both my blog and my blog followers. I have not had much to say, but when I do, I don't seem to be replying to comments. I will try to get better. However, does anyone know how to retrieve email addresses from Blogger? I can't seem to retrieve the email addresses left so that I can respond to commenters. I am making a Springtime resolution to get better with this.

I love that I am on Spring Break and there is actually sunshine. Soxy and I took a short walk yesterday before I put her in the car to go to the vet. Although she and D have been out during the winter, my health does not let me enjoy this with them. So yesterday was our first walk since October.

Soxy decided that she wanted to visit her favorite vet-tech yesterday when we arrived at the office. She was so excited to see April that she couldn't go around the desk and instead attempted to hurdle the wall. I do believe she would've made it if I hadn't been in such shock that I forgot to let go of her lead. She still has quite the energy for a six-year old with hip dysplesia (sp).

I hope you are enjoying these spring days and getting some sunshine on your shoulders...OK I am a geek, I just quoted John Denver lyrics.

I'm done now!!

More Snow

Where is all this snow going to go when it melts? I have no idea. Busy day...without much accomplished.

Quick list:

- we went out to breakfast
- picked up my prescription and some groceries
- looked for a new kitchen table and daybed for the 2nd guest bedroom; found nothing
- started laundry (did not get it all done)
- started cleaning (did not get it all done)
- returned a faucet to Home Depot to purchase same one with the correct finish at Lowe's
- had the stitches removed from my thumb
- made a pizza for dinner because it was too late to make the steaks
- watching the Olympics for the first time this year; just saw America win gold in Bobsledding and am really enjoying the Canadian ice dancers as I type

Belated Blog Anniversary...1/16/03

I find it hard to believe that I started blogging seven years ago, but I have. Unfortunately, due to name changes and formatting changes, I have lost quite a bit of my blog files.

I have met some fabulous people and many I consider friends thanks to my blog. I would like to especially say thanks to Firewalk who set up my original blog and kept me up and running for the most part when I was using MT.

Seven years...that may be the longest I've committed to anything in my life. ;-)

He was Loved and Known by Many

Jeff's Obituary

Jeff Getz 1956-2010

My cousin passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer. He was only 53. I will miss him. He was not only my cousin, but also my Godfather and my friend.

Here is a photo of him "giving me away" at the poolside wedding my family threw for D and I at the family reunion since I always wanted a wedding by the water.




I will miss you Jeff. I love you! I am glad you are no longer in pain.

Prayers Requested for my Cousin

Hi all, if I could please ask for prayers and healing thoughts for my cousin. It seems that his cancer is getting worse and the end is near. I wish that I had better news. My other cousin and I are hoping to go visit tomorrow. I am sad at the news and feel very bad for his wife and daughter.

DeLurker Day...Thursday (posting early because of my schedule)

If you visit and don't comment, please do so today as it is DeLurker Day! If you visit and you do comment, please say Hello!! I will be around to visit at some point today.

Trying Something New

I decided to play around with the look of "Therapy Failed" because I was getting bored with the old layout. That's not to say this is where it will end up, but I like the parchment feel of this layout.

Let me know what you think!

Kitchen Remodel...Before and After

Before:



After:

Kitchen Remodel...Update

This weekend was spent finishing our kitchen remodel! D and I grouted the tile that he and his dad installed two or so weeks ago. We also caulked and I was able to put the kitchen back together today. If I think of it I will take pictures to post tomorrow. We went from a "sunny yellow" to a "cinnamon" we finished a natural stone backsplash and put down a Silestone countertop to replace the white formica one. We swapped out the hardware for oil-rubbed bronze as opposed to the brass and chrome. I love it!! I will post pictures as soon as I take them. D thinks he has some pictures of the old kitchen so I can post before and after pictures.