Inconsiderate Neighbors

(repost from myspace)

Inconsiderate Neighbors

Current mood:determined

Last night the youngins next door had a party. At 12:30 I called the police. They were screaming and laughing and blowing a whistle (quite loudly). I couldn't figure out why they just wouldn't go inside. Anyway, the police showed up and they were quiet for about 5 minutes and got loud again. I could hear someone asking them to be quiet but others were like "screw the police." No, it wasn't the police, it was the NEIGHBORS. 

 

Anyway, around 12:50 some decided to leave and go to Waffle House (seriously, I could hear their entire conversation from my bedroom). I heard them go out front and suddenly a car alarm starts going off. It keeps going and going and over the car alarm I'm hearing all sorts of shouting. Turns out the alarm was on a car from across the street, where the drug dealer people are. So now there's a shouting fight going on across the street with the girls screaming.

So I called the cops again. (They let me know there had been a few other calls.) One car left, but not before squealing his tire for a few seconds (leaving one black line in front of the house across the street) and then another car left. Oddly enough, it was people from the drug dealer house, not the one next door. The cops finally showed up and talked to the people still standing outside. So a couple other people left and I thought it would finally be quiet. I was wrong. So I called the police one more time at 1:20. They finally moved the party in doors.

Jason and I both agree that we need to get out of that neighborhood ASAP, before they take over the area and my house depreciates. Hopefully within the next year. (Need to fix up the kitchen, bathroom and maybe remodel the basement.) In the meantime, I will call the police every chance possible when either of those two houses makes a peep. No more. Not in my neighborhood.

**edit** Forgot to note that I was supposed to be at work today at 8am, but ended up not coming in until 9am because I thought I should get at least 6 hours of sleep.

(repost from myspace)

(repost from myspace)

I know you’ve been wondering...

Current mood:excited

You'll get the short version because (1) I'm at work and (2) if you know me, you've already heard the story at least twice and if not, you'll hear it sooner or later.

I got home last Thursday and Jason was sitting there waiting for me. (He doesn't work Fridays and usually gets off work early on Thursdays.) I had had a very bad day at work. (Been having a lot of those lately.) I just wanted a huge hug from him. So while I'm standing there getting my greeting bear hug from Jason, I look over his shoulder and see a large pumpkin sitting on my coffee table. A couple thoughts run through my head:
 - why didn't he leave that outside
 - wow, that's a nice pumpkin, we could carve something cool on there
 - it's a week early, we're not doing the pumpkin carving party until next week
 - I get to prove that I'm a better carver than he is

What comes out of my mouth: "nice pumpkin." He responded with "I carved it for you." (I was a bit disappointed but then thought that he's now trying to show he's a better carver than me.) So I said "well, let's see it" expecting something goofy. He turned it around and got down on one knee. From my angle all I could see was "CYNDI WILL YOU" and I froze. My brain was racing wondering if the next line was "GO TO DINNER" and it was just a joke. (A friend said it would have been funny if it said "CARVE ME.")

So he said something (I don't remember and he doesn't either) while pulling out the ring box. That's when I realized the rest of the pumpkin said "MARRY ME?" I went into shock - he seriously caught me off guard. I think I started doing one of those girlie crying and laughing things. Then he opened the ring box and I saw the ring - and then I started screaming. (Is this what guys expect?) I think I was jumping around the living room and trying not to bawl my eyes out. Jason just kept laughing at me and finally stood up and said "well?" My answer was "OK, YES!!" And then a lot of hugging, kissing, and me still jumping around and screaming. And yes, crying and laughing too. (If you know me, this isn't hard to imagine.)

(from our engagement pictures)

 And then I had to go prepare for small group - it was my turn to lead. I had done the lesson but hadn't gone over what questions I wanted to hit. Like I could concentrate. And I had to make a few phone calls when my brain wasn't focusing.

Mom was so excited, she cried when I told her. My mom and step-dad just love Jason to death. I had to call Melissa and ask her officially to be my matron of honor. (She hates the word "matron" so we're calling her the "best woman.") Jason called his best friend, Bryan, and asked him to be the best man, and we're set. (Yes, just two attendants. It's one of those things where there's one, or 20. How do you choose???)

So next we have to decide the wedding date. We knew it was going to be a Friday night, so I was teasing that we should get married on leap day. So, we're getting married February 29, 2008.

Planning is going really well. Melissa and I are going dress shopping tomorrow. We already hit David's Bridal once, so we have a good idea of what we're going for. We've got a wedding and reception site, photographer and caterer. And a budget - which got cut in half Wednesday. (We may be able to afford more, but if we sleep better at night, it's best to slim it down.)

A little plug for the photographer who is giving us an incredible deal: (thanks Darrin!!) http://www.myspace.com/drbphotography 

I keep praying that we don't lose our focus. It's not about me, it's not about Jason, it's not about the perfect wedding, it's about Him. It's about God bringing us together and joining us together. Our ceremony is going to be completely focused on this. The reception will be for celebrating! :)

Skybus - Not recommended

(Repost from myspace. Btw, this airline went out of business 7 months after this.)

Skybus - Not recommended

Jason and I flew on Skybus to Ft. Lauderdale this past weekend. I thought it was a great deal for $140/ticket and we just bought the tickets two weeks ago.

You get what you pay for.

The plane had radio problems and couldn't be repaired, so we had to wait until another plane was available. Therefore the flight was delayed four hours. (However, we weren't aware it was going to be this delayed until several hours later.)

You don't get assigned seats, you just get in line and then sit where you want. We weren't sitting in the right place, so when they told us to start lining up, we ended up in the middle. We stood in line for two hours, waiting. They finally told us it would be another hour and to take a seat. Most people just left their luggage to hold their place and wandered off. (With the PA announcements stating that you shouldn't leave your luggage unattended, it was quite funny.) It was truly a mess.

Also, since there's no ticket agents, no 800-number, you have to do everything through the internet. We wanted to find out if we could get a refund, or apply our tickets to another date, or even get a flight the next morning. We could not. They told us if we had internet access, we could email the company to ask, but we were sitting at the gate without a laptop. Not sure what they expected us to do.

They don't have pillows or blankets on the flight. They don't serve a meal or any drinks. They sometimes (emphasis on sometimes) have food and drinks to sell, but of course, at outrageous prices. We packed food and bottles of water for the trip home yesterday. We also packed food and drinks for the way down, but ate them while waiting for the plane. Oh, that's another thing, everything in the airport closed at 9pm. So when they finally announced that our flight was delayed, there was no where for anyone to get anything to eat or drink. There were vending machines, but people found out (the hard way) that it only took quarters. Even the pilots had a difficult time finding something to drink. There was a place outside of the gates to get food & drink, but you couldn't bring the drinks through security.

So our flight was supposed to take off at 8:00 pm and get in at 10:30 pm. We left at 11:45 and got in at 2:15. We also had a 90 minute ride to Naples, so we didn't get to bed until 4am. (And I felt bad asking Mom & Gary to pick us up at 10:30 pm.) It was a mess. Oh, and there were people at the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 2:30 am waiting for our plane to take them back to Columbus. That means they weren't going to get in until 5:30 am. I guess we have nothing to complain about compared to them...

Crazy things going on...

(Repost from myspace)

Crazy things going on...

Current mood:weird

I know you're looking for a blog on Honduras, but that will have to come later. In the meantime, life is still happening.

Sunday night Jason was driving back to Kentucky and should have gotten home a little after 1am. Around 12:45 am he called and said "if I don't call you, call me back in 15-20 minutes." What?!? I guess there were some large rocks in the road and he hit one (or more) and had a flat tire. He was afraid that someone had set them there deliberately. He pulled up a little ways before stopping to change his tire. He called me first and I stressed that he needed to call the police IMMEDIATELY. I also suggested he get BACK in the car and wait. (He didn't.)

He called me a few minutes later to say that after he got off the phone with the police, someone in a 4x4 came up to see if he needed help. He said the guy came from the same area where the rocks were, so he informed the guy that the police were on the way. The guy on the 4x4 left. Unbelievable. Around that time the police showed up and we got off the phone. They helped him change his tire and several other police cars showed up to move the rocks and to look for the guy on the 4x4.

They didn't ask for Jason's statement and didn't get his contact information. So even if they catch the guy(s), nothing would be done I guess. Jason called me back around 1:20 am to say he was safe and on his way home.

Isn't that just crazy? First I hit the deer, and now rocks in the road? I told Jason that if something else like this happens, one of us is moving! It's just a 3-hour trip, this is ridiculous.

Last night I was doing laundry to get ready for the arrival of my mom and step-dad this weekend. I was downstairs trying to figure out how to put a curtain up around the shower area of my basement. (There's no door on my basement.) Suddenly I heard a horrible noise come from my clothes dryer. I stopped it and then started it again. (Don't ask me why, I was hoping it wasn't as bad as my brain was telling me.) The noise went away for the most part and then started again. I stopped the dryer and smelled smoke when I opened it. I unplugged everything and got all my clothes away from the dryer. My dryer is now officially dead. I have no idea how old it was, but it was at least 30 years old, if not more. (And the light on it still worked!)

All I kept thinking was "what if I was outside, what if I was sleeping?" I just *happened* to be in the basement looking at the ceiling when it broke. I don't normally hang out in my basement. But I'm thanking God that last night I was. Just unbelievable.

So my sheets and towels are on the clothes lines all over my basement. And tonight I'm buying a new GE dryer from Sears. Hopefully it'll be delivered and installed by Friday afternoon, before the parents get here. Two years ago they bought me a new washing machine when my old one broke a week before they visited. I'm not sure they'll believe me that it's a coincidence. That and I need to finish washing the sheets for their beds. (They're used to a King sized bed in a large bedroom. So they sleep on my Queen in the guest room and the Queen hide-a-bed in my living room.)

Funny thing... a friend just emailed me to see if she could use my washing machine, hers just broke and she has 3 kids and a ton of laundry to do. Maybe she'll let me use her dryer. LOL!

honkin huge survey

(repost from myspace)

honkin huge survey

Current mood:happy

1. One of your scars, how did you get it?
All of mine are from surgeries, except one - thanks to my brother. We shared a room when we were little. I woke up after a nap to him throwing cars over our beds. (From one side of the room to the other.) One landed on my forehead, right by my eyebrow, and wouldn't stop bleeding, so I ended up getting 3 stitches. To this day I can't get my eyebrows even. (He thinks it's funny.)
2. What is on the walls in your room?
Um, nothing I guess. Curtains are up, but my pictures are still sitting on the floor. Can't figure out where to put them up.

3. Do you snore, grind your teeth, or talk in your sleep?
I breathe heavy. And I sleep walk. (I think. I just get clues when I wake up since I live alone.)

4. What type of music do you listen to?
Mixx 107.7 and Klove. I buy the fun stuff though, like Switchfoot, Killers, Newsboys, Rob Thomas.

5. Do you know what time you were born?
3:33 pm

6. What do you want more than anything right now?
To spend some quality time with my mom.

7. What do you miss?
My sanity.

8. What is/are your most prized possession(s)?
My house.

9. How tall are you?
5'11"

10. Do you get claustrophobic?
I'm too tall to get claustrophic. (My head stays above everyone else's.) :)

11. Do you get scared in the dark?
Yes.
12. When was the last time you cried and who was the person that made you cry?
I cry all the time. Not including songs ("He was walking her home...") or tv shows, it would have been when I left Kentucky last Saturday night. The why should be obvious.
13. What are you listening to?
Mixx 107.7. Journey is playing right now.

14. What kind of hair/eye color do you like on a person?
whatever, it's never mattered to me.

15. What are you wearing?
pink shirt, brown pants, leopard print shoes

16. Coffee or energy drink?
coffee

17. Favorite pizza topping?
pineapple (Not JUST pineapple, but added to other toppings)

18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Reece's Peanut Butter Cups

19. What's to your left?
a stack of "back-burner" work
20. What's to your right?
two piles of work I've completed (patents and trademarks)
21. What was the most meaningful gift you've ever received?
the jewelry my mom's given me

22. Do you act your age?
I think the ages I act average out to my actual age.

23. Are you double-jointed?
In my knees. (Like Barbie-doll knees.)

24. Favorite clothing brand?
Eddie Bauer (lots of talls!!)

25. Favorite perfume?
lavender spray

26. Do you have a pet right now?
Yes.

27. What kind are they?
Fuzzy kitty

28. Would you fall in love knowing that the person is leaving?
Only if they were coming back!

29. Can you count to 10 in another language?
Yes, espanol.

30. Say a number from one to one hundred.
22

31. Blondes or brunettes?
yes

32. What is the one number you call most often?
it's a tie between Jason, Nancy, and my mom. (Jason ususally calls me, so he's the one I talk to the most.)

33. What color is your mousepad?
black

34. Have you been out of the United States?
Yes. Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Netherlands, and England.
35. What's your favorite color of rose?
Pink or yellow, they're so pretty when they're dried.

36. Met anyone famous?
Does Scott Sliver count? (He thinks he's famous.)

37. First job?
Working at a summer camp in the Adirodack mountains
38. Ever done a prank call?
Yes.

39. What color are your eyes?
Blue and hazel, so they end up kinda green.

40. Have you ever had surgery?
6 times.

41. What were you doing before you filled this out?
eating lunch

42. What do you get complimented about most?
Lately? My boyfriend. (Very annoying.)

43. Do you like how you look?
Yup.
44. What do you want for your birthday?
Write this down - Brighton. (www.brighton.com)

45. How many kids do you want?
yes

46. Were you named after anyone?
My dad's secretary. (I was supposed to be Megan, but my mom lost the fight.)

47. Do you wish on stars?
Once in awhile on a falling star. I know God hears what I ask. :)

48 Do you have any celebrity crushes?
John Cusack *drool*

49. What kind of shampoo do you use?
Pantene - I buy the one that's in spanish. In English it's translated to "anti-sponge." LOL!
50. Do you like your handwriting?
yes
51. What is your favorite lunch meat?
smoked ham (not honey ham, too much sugar)

52. Any bad habits?
filling out surveys when I should get back to work.

53. Is your hair up or down?
down today

54. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
I would be friend with the "another person" but not sure if they'd be friends with me. :)

57. How do you release your anger?
I throw things. (At the ground, not at things or people.) I need a dart board.
60. What was your favorite toy as a child?
The doll house and furniture made up of stuff I made or found.

63. Do you use sarcasm?
Never. *snark snark*

64. Mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese?
Baked Mac & Cheese

66. What are your nicknames?
Cy, Cyn, Adorkable (what Jason calls me)
68. What's your favorite TV show?
CSI
70. What's your favorite ice cream flavour?
Anything with chocolate and peanut butter.

71. Do you have all of your fingers and toes?
Yes, just checked.

72. Do you have a computer in your room?
On the 2nd floor.

73. Plans for tonight?
Driving to Kentucky.

74. What's the fastest you've gone in a car?
Probably around 90 on my way home from Florida. (I think the speed limit was 75, and I was following a couple of cars, so it wasn't that bad.)
75. Do you want everyone to answer these questions?
Sure. If you've got the time. :) (Get back to work!!)

76. What are you listening to?
Still, Mixx 107.7. Sounds like Richard Marx.

77. What is the last thing you drank?
Sprite Zero.

78. Last person you talked to or texted on the phone?
Jason. :)

79. The first thing you notice in a person?
Height
81. Favorite thing to hate?
What happened to 80? I hate that.

82. Favorite month of the year?
July

83. Favorite country?
USA, with Honduras being a close 2nd.

84. Favorite candy?
Guess... peanut butter cups

85. Favorite vacation?
Staying with my mom in Florida.

86. Favorite eye color?
yes

87. Favorite shoes?
loafers

88. Favorite fast food place?
Chick-fil-A

89. Favorite restaurant?
This changes all the time. Right now, City BBQ.

90. Do you like sushi?
I like the "easy" stuff, like the California spring roll. I know, wimpy.
91. The last thing you watched?
Sex and the City (It was one I haven't seen before, where Miranda meets Steve)

92. Favorite day of the year?
Any day I get to sleep in. (That would be maybe 5 days.)

93. Play any musical instruments?
Played. Flute and piccolo with a brief attempt at oboe and piano.

94. Republican or Democrat?
yes

97. What was the last thing you bought?
Roly Poly. (half of a number 29)

99. What book are you reading?
Ezekiel (wow, who did the numbering???)

100. Do you like anyone at the moment?
that guy who keeps calling me adorkable.

Cyndi 1, Deer 0

(repost from myspace)

Cyndi 1, Deer 0

Current mood:tired

Gee, and just last week I was saying that I haven't been in an accident in over 6 years. That's pretty amazing for me. Accident number seven happened Sunday night on my way home from Kentucky. Bambi tried crossing the road but decided to stop and look at the pretty blue car coming right at it. People keep asking what happened to the deer. I have no idea. It went airborne after I hit it and I just kept driving. I didn't want to stop anywhere near that thing. I heard hissing coming from the front of my car, so I did eventually stop.

Minor damage to the front of my car - the grill is pushed in and things aren't quite lined up right. Obviously the radiator was hit and probably has a crack in it. There was a large puddle of water under my car afterwards. The air bag didn't go off and I'm not hurt at all. Was pretty badly shook up afterwards though. Thankfully a State Highway Patrolman was coming the other direction and stopped. He almost hit the deer and then saw me hit it. We hung out while we waited for the tow truck driver and talked about our churches. When the tow truck guy showed up, Sargeant Littrell let me know that Rodney was a good a guy. (A chain smoker, but a nice guy.)

Jason came up from Kentucky and rescued me in Lucasville and Rodney went ahead and took my car to a collision place near there. He said it was highly recommended and has a webcam so you can watch the progress of your car. When they've got pictures of my car up, I'll post them. I'm driving a rental car right now. A Hyundai Sonoma. It's okay. I was hoping for a Malibu.

Here's the funny part of all this. (Because, as you know, there's always something ridiculous that happens with me.) Jason and his mom made a 9-layer stack cake (made with homemade apple butter) for me to take to work on Monday. We decided to put it in my passenger seat because I was afraid it would slide around if I put it on the floor. After the accident I couldn't find the cake and was very upset. When I called Jason to let him know I hit the deer, he immediately asked if I was okay. I told him I was, but I didn't think the cake made it. He couldn't believe I was so concerned about the cake. I told the patrol man and the tow truck guy about the cake and they opened the back door and told me it looked fine. It was sitting on the floor like I had set it there. I told them before the accident it was sitting on the seat. I then got lectured about putting baked goods on the floor when you're transporting them. (Gee, can you tell they're both married?)

Anyway, the cake was kinda crunched on one side and wasn't centered on the plate anymore, but I took it to work anyway. Everyone loved it and said it looked great, even after hitting a deer. Ha. :)

I had a great weekend in Kentucky. I'll have to post pictures later. And I'll give you an update on my car as soon as I have it. I found these t-shirts offered by the business that's fixing my car:

Reposting from myspace

(A couple of random blog posts just days before I discovered who Jason Parsons is...)

May 18th, 2007 - so sayeth the singles...

Current mood:curious

Let's see if this yahoo poll shows up (from yahoo personals)...

Question: What's your biggest dating challenge?

2299 votes since May 10 2007

I don't have enough time	10%	212 votes
It's becoming a major expense item	5%	113 votes
I'm nervous about starting a new relationship	19%	423 votes
I have too many prospects and can't decide	3%	52 votes
I'm discouraged by a string of bad dates	13%	290 votes
Friends and parents are pressuring me to find someone	2%	39 votes
There are too few good prospects	30%	670 votes
I'm overcoming past heartbreak	22%	500 votes
I'm trying to break bad dating patterns	0%	0 votes

May 10, 2007 - love anyway...

Anyway

Martina McBride

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Somethin' from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

(Chorus)
God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

(Repeat Chorus)

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway

I sing
I dream
I love anyway