I knew it!

Although, I'm not going to fall for someone new this year, I fell a long long time ago. You Are Most Like Carrie!

You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date. But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal? It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky. Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what! Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year... Totally different from any guy you've dated.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

I lost the bet...

3 months
Originally uploaded by Char-Marie.

Today my sister and I went to her ultrasound appointment to see whether it was a girl or a boy. The votes are in and it's a *drum roll please........* Its a girl!!! We're so excited! I can't wait to have a chubby little girl to take around with me. She'll be so spoiled and i'll laugh because the minute she cries i'll hand her back to her momma! The baby seems to be perfectly healthy so far so good. It was absolutely precious! She kept putting her hands in front of her face and turning her head. It is such an amazing thing to see- I'm watching the ultrasound and looking at Stori, then looking at her belly and I cannot imagine having a little someone in there wiggling around. I already think she's precious and i've yet to really see her face.

I cannot wait to be an Auntie!!!!

No means No in Español.....

This definitely surpasses anything I've experienced at Wal-mart. Today I was asked to help a Hispanic man in his early 40s. He was trying to find a shovel handle, so I took him out to lawn and garden where we keep the shovels....And we didn't have any handles. When I tried to tell him(in the most broken Spanish you've ever heard) that we didn't have shovel handles, he grabbed my arm really hard. He really latched on to my arm and started to jerk me towards him! My hair fell into my face *due to him jerking me forward* and he was trying to move my hair away from my face so he could *get this* KISS ME!!! He was pulling me towards him, I was screaming NO! *No is a universal word---HE KNEW WHAT THIS MEANT! Yet he proceeded to jerk my arms and when he finally realized it was not going to happen-he kissed my arm and I jerked free and started walking away...*a very fast walk*

This was SO scary! The guy left marks on my arm, and was very strong. I thought about pushing him, kneeing him in the junk, punching him, but I knew that he was a lot stronger than me and we were the only two people outside in lawn and garden. The audacity of some people! I don't care if he couldn't speak English, he knew what he was doing was wrong!

Express lunch my A$$!

I would like to say this because it may make me feel a little better. If you're planning on going to lunch today, and you're on a schedule-don't go where I went. It took forever. I'm not so sure that the guy serving us knew he was at work. At one point in time he came over to our table lifted my purse out of the seat next to me and sat down because his legs were tired. Then he took my drink and asked what I had and said he'd be back with a refill....i'm still waiting for it. It took 30 minutes for him to write down what we wanted to drink another 30 to write down what we wanted to eat and forever to get our 'Express Lunch'!!

Ok i'm better now.

At least it wasn't on fire?.....

Ok, another Wal-mart rant... This happened last summer when I was answering the phones. I had just recently had knee surgery, and was bound to a stool answering the phones at the fitting room. I was minding my own business when this lady with NEON PINK hair walked up to me and threw a bag in front of me. I was so not ready for what she was about to say. She looked around to see if anyone was listening and then said this-"That bag has SHIT in it!" I know my mouth must have hit the floor. I just looked at her with this confused look on my face and said what anyone in my situation would have said, "What?!"

"It has shit in it, I was looking through it and stuck my hand in it. WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE CHECK YOUR BAGS?!" At this point i'm laughing at her and I can't really control it, I look at her and say, "Well ma'am we don't normally have to check our bags for that." She stormed off leaving me with the poo poo bag, only to come back and say this: " And it's in my FINGERNAILS! I'm going to sue Wal-mart. My children saw this, and i'm so embarrassed...." blah blah blah..... I ask her if she'd like me to call a manager and she storms off Neon Pink hair, 6 inch nails and all.

I'm not really sure what kind of poo had contaminated the said-bag.....but it made for an interesting day. By the way, before you go rummaging around in bags/purses at Wal-mart you may want to put on gloves.

Confessions of a Wal-Mart Employee....

Ok---I know that I talk a lot about good ol' wal-mart here, I have no choice- This is why:

I'm working at the registers because we were busy and there weren't enough cashiers. This man walks up to me and I say, "Hi." He replies, "No I'm not, do I look high?" I look at him and bag his items.... I say, " It's $3.43." He holds out a five dollar bill and I reach for it as I grab it, he pulls it back. So I laugh thinking *I'll kick you in the face if you don't let go... He starts to hand it to me again, and again I fall for this HILARIOUS game we're playing. Ok sir it's $3.43.... again he pulls away the money----I shot him a look so good that if looks could kill he would have died many many times.

I turn to my drawer get the change and he finally lets go of the 5..... WHY! Why do people have to act like this? Do you think it's cute? I laugh and speak under my breath, but it really really irritates me. I've been standing in one spot all day long hearing BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEP....Grabbing, turning, grabbing, turning. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone when I'm checking, my feet hurt, my back hurts, I have a major headache, and if you don't let go of the money I'm liable to rip off your arm and shove it into my till!

*deep breaths*

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.

(Picture of my Dad in Vietnam.)
Last night I met my parents after work, and I had an interview with my dad. I had mentioned here. It's an interview with a veteran from the Vietnam war and its all on camera, then it goes to the Library of Congress. Last night I got the privilege to interview my dad for this project. I am so proud of the things my dad had to do and endure. A couple parts of the interview I thought I was going to break down, but I held it together. A few things he just told me flat out, "It's not something I want to remember, I don't really want to talk about it." He left out some things because he didn't want us to hear some of the cruel things that happened over there.

Here's where I rant:

I've been keeping up with the news and this is really really bothering me. A church from PA is picketing the funerals of the soldiers killed in Iraq, holding up signs that say: "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and " You're going to hell." If it were my family who went over there, and lost their life in something that they thought was the right thing to do---and someone was picketing their funeral, you'd have to throw me in jail. It makes me so angry..A young man from Joplin, MO died last week in Iraq and they've said that they're coming to picket his funeral as well. They just stand there with these crazy grins on their face, screaming all of these horrible things while the family is mourning the loss of a loved one. In my eyes--how can they call themselves Christians??

I sat and listened to my dad talk about how he was treated when he came home from Vietnam. He was spit on, called a baby killer, a war monger. Three people tried to run him over when he was walking on the side of the road with a cane--trying to get home because his dad was dying of cancer. He went over there thinking that he was helping those people a little by maybe letting at least one married man stay home with his family, thinking that America was behind the soldiers...Maybe not the war, but the men who HAD TO go. He said, " They said that we were the lucky ones, that we were the one's who came home. I think that the lucky ones were the ones who didn't come back because they died thinking that America was behind them, that they were being supported. This may be cruel sounding to you, but a lot of us feel this way. I'm still very bitter over seeing our troops come back and be treated worse than animals."

There are people who don't support this war going on right now, but we should support our men that have enlisted and are on hand waiting to defend us. It doesn't directly affect any one of us if we do not have someone over there that we love. We're fine and safe in our homes, but those men, whether they enlisted when 9-11 happened or have been a part of the military for years and years, are in my eyes the bravest of individuals, willing to risk their lives so we don't have to. I'll thank them for the rest of my life.

Set Sail with Captain Morgan!

Last night was fun. Hollie, Heath, Stori, Colby and I all went out to eat sushi at a local Japanese restaurant. We had a blast! Heath had a party at his place and everyone except yours truly was drinking. I was taking care of the Colbster. ;) like I do. We had a good night. My friend Hollie was tanked....Hollie rarely drinks, but when she does...LOOK OUT! You're liable to hear anything come out of that girl's mouth. I'm known as the "historian" of the group- I run around with my digital camera and get everything....You wouldn't believe the dirt I have on some of these people....Everyone has to be nice to me cause I'm very capable of posting the pics on the internet...Sort of like the one's that I just posted on flickr.... ;)


Isn't he lovely?....I took him home with me.

Bummed.

I'm pretty bummed out. It seems that Colby and I are not going to Chicago after all. The place where he works had someone lined up and if that person worked for the job Colby could have gone, but the person hired backed out at the last minute...We're not going. I'm sad because Colby and I never really get to go anywhere together, we see each other in passing it seems. School and work are full time things, and so I was looking forward to not having to do anything for a week except spend time with him and scout out Chicago. I guess there's a time for everything...Someday we'll go. We'll just have to go get a pizza and hang out around here during springbreak. I'm sure we'll make the best of it.

Good Day Sunshine!

Good day sunshine
I need to laugh, and when the sun is out I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day ---- (a little ode to the Beatles!)


Yes! It feels so good outside. It's supposed to be 82 degrees today, yesterday it was 78, and I HAVE THE DAY OFF!!!! I'm excited. I have to go to my class, then i'm going to jack around for the rest of the day.... It's such a great day for the lake....HA! Who am I kidding, i'd first of all never step into a bathing suit....Second of all, I'm scared to death of fish...

So I guess what I'm really trying to say is.... its a great day to go shoe shopping. :)

Who you gonna call......?

Ok, I would like a show of hands....Who of you out there truely believe in ghosts? * my hands up*

The reason I ask is that our house is now occupied by my Uncle Daddy. I think is awesome! It's not a scary thing, because we all love him and he loves us, so we know it's not something to be scared of. I am concerned, however, that he may not have crossed over.... I don't know a lot about these things, but I've been trying to read into this a little and as far as I can tell.. Ghosts don't move over until they've finished a task, they feel guilty about something, they don't think that the family is ready to part, it was so sudden that they don't know that they've passed. Personally I think it's because my dad and uncle were twins. The bond was so huge that I don't think one will go without the other. Give me some feedback.....

My mom saw my uncle walking down the hallway and into my room. I feel like i've seen him in the hallway too, but it was dark....maybe I just felt it. Or maybe I was dillusional....could be either or.

Ehhhh.

Well, I had to take a test today. The essays went pretty well, but I think the rest of the test is a completely different story. I'm just glad I got it out of the way. I'm just waiting for my chicken patty to get done, I'm STARVING! I went to a vending machine today and put in my money, I really really really was craving cheetos, but the machine kept telling me to pick something else.

"Char-Marie" it said, "You really don't need cheetos, so pick whatever else you want." I got really aggravated because I thought I could get my money back and go to the other machine with the glorious bag of cheetos...not the case. It was holding my money hostage! So, I broke down and bought peanut butter cookies--you know the kind that Grandma makes. Anyways, instead of my normal brain food of cheetos and mt. dew, I had to settle for peanut butter cookies, and grape juice.....

I'm going back to yoga tomorrow....Mark my words!

Romania.

Alright, I'm back with another choice. Colby and I are so excited about doing this. We're pulling for our families to start saving their money NOW so they can come and stay with us to see what we're doing. Anyone else is welcome to start saving now as well. ;) Here's our next pick: Romania! This is a picture of Translyvania, Romania scary huh!

Stats for Romania:

1. Location: Southeast Europe
2. Borders:It is bordered by Ukraine and Moldova in the northeast; Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro in the west and Bulgaria to the south along the Danube River.
3. Politics: Romania is a democratic republic
4. Religion: Christian Orthodox-86%
5. Language: Romanian-Romance language.
6. Climate: Temperate-Cold winters, hot summers.
7. Capital: Bucharest
8. Population: 21,800,000

Fun Facts:

1. Holidays celebrated are: Christmas, Easter, National Woman's Day, New Year's, Mărţişor, and they're starting to celebrate Valentine's Day.

2. Vampires are believed to hang around crossroads on St. George's Day, April 23rd, and the eve of St. Andrew, November 29th. The area is also home to Bram Stoker's Dracula. OOOooooo.....

3. Romanians have a tradition of drinking a shot of tuica before a meal. It is supposed to help with digestion.

4. Mamaliga ‑ a cornmeal mush, Is the Romanian all purpose staple food. Hot, cold, fried, it is delicious in melted butter, sour cream or yogurts, garnished with salt herring and cottage cheese, or eaten with eggs for breakfast, and added to meat dishes.

Well, what do you think? Do you think I can live without my sushi, fried potatoes, and macaroni and cheese?

Misc.

Man... I didn't set an alarm, and now i'm going to have to miss my class....;)
I have this crazy ringing in my ear....can you hear it? Anyways, last night Colb and I went to the fox, like every Sunday. We had a lot of fun--I had my game face on last night. I was on Fire! Ok now i'm going to go eat some cereal..FRUITY PEBBLES!!!! mmmmmmmmm

Driving. Need I say more?

Driving in Southwest Missouri is like having your hand stuffed inside a blender and being forced to look, or chewing on tinfoil. I absolutely hate driving in Missouri. People make me very angry. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you that I should probably be sedated and strapped into the backseat before we go for a ride. *Kind of like a dog-I need a tranquilizer or i'll jump out the window.

Anyways I tell you this because today I was driving and *honestly* minding my own business, going to speed limit because the sign says that's what I have to do, and out of no where this cross-eyed hillbilly with a beat up truck comes blazing by me and it kind of twerks me the wrong way. I, however, count to ten and keep going. Then the man gets over in the lane in front of me and gives me dirty hand gestures in the rear view mirror. Now ladies and gentlemen, this is uncalled for and so I get into the left lane and proceed to speed up a little and get next to him. I smile, wave with one finger and drive on-I even giggle a little when he gets stuck behind an older couple who seem to be sight seeing or are just so completely lost that they need to do double takes.

Now, if you talk to Colby's mom-Mary Beth she would tell you that I have the mouth of a sailor. To that I say this --Mary Beth the lady was putting your son in harms way, I didn't know you were on the phone with him at the time, I was protecting your son with my words that's why I dropped the f-bomb....But I have to tell ya, I only said F-u-c. If ya know what I mean. ; )
Mwwwah!

Hey LOOK....

Well, Gene has left. He was a riot! We had so much fun, and I'll tell you I've never laughed so hard in my life. He calls me his sister, and he's so excited about what's ahead (as far as family life goes.) My parents took him to the wild life zooquarium at bass pro in Springfield. My mom came back with the funniest stories, at one point in time he saw a jack rabbit and yelled really loud, " HEY DAD, Look at that Jack-ass Rabbit!" My parents cracked up, I was rolling when they told me about it. He's such a genuine, sweet person. I'm very proud to call him my big brother-I've always wanted one. When I left he gave me a HUGE bear hug and lifted me off the ground, "I'm so glad to call you my sister!" he said.

I'm very proud of my big family....Somehow we find ways to prevail in the darkest of times. We're resilient. Love you guys!!!

Children's Books.

I had to read to the kindergartener kids today. I read an African tale of Anansi the spider. I was told I was the best teacher in the wide...the whole wide world! They can be so sweet when they want. I forgive, but i'll never forget...: ) I've definitely seen the other side. I'm currently stocking up on my books that i'll need for my library.


Help me pick some out. What is your favorite children's book of all time? I need some good books for my collection.

First choice: Bulgaria.

Oh man, over the past few days I've really been thinking about how exciting it will be to actually start REAL life. Right now I just feel like i'm playing and not really doing anything special, even though i'm in school more than I sleep. So I was day-dreaming in class today about being in a foreign country and how I would dress, and what my hair might look like. I MIGHT ACTUALLY GET A TAN!!! * I know this isn't a reason why i'm going, just an added bonus* I can only imagine the different customs that our country has for instance:

Bulgaria is known for fire dancing! Dancing barefoot on hot coals... *My feet are very sensitive, walking on sand makes me wince so...probably not up for that. However, I won't say that it couldn't happen, it very well could.

Above is a picture of a street (small town) Bulgaria. I'm sure this wouldn't be our nice bungalow, but isn't it gorgeous.

I hear the food over there isn't half bad either! We'll see. I'm going to write about each country we're interested in to help to compare them.

Here's the stats on Bulgaria:

Size: About the size of Tennessee
Population: 7.4 million
Language: Bulgarian, and Turkish
Capital: Sofia
Climate: temperate with cold damp winters, and hot dry summers.
Borders: Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey
Politics: A parliamentary Democracy
Religion: Bulgarian Orthodox (86%)

Fun Facts:

1. Bulgaria has fought in both world wars on the losing side
2. Has a place called the valley of roses where hundreds of thousands of roses are in bloom in May. Roses are said to be Bulgaria's gold.
   
3. 2.8 million land lines, and 2.6 million cell phones..to the population of 7.4 million
4. Only 630,000 internet users
   
5. Favorite dessert is pancakes. *MMMmmmm
6. Said to be the home of Yogurt.
7. It's 11:00pm here, and 8:00am in Bulgaria.
   

Lucky Girl.

Wow, I'm really impressed with the turnout on comments! All time record :) Yes, Bulgaria is my first choice because of the orphanage. I think that would be so rewarding. Thinking back years ago I don't know if this option for my future would have ever been present, I'm just so blessed to have a boyfriend who brings out sides of me that otherwise probably would have never been found. It was my idea to join the peace corps, but I'm so lucky that my boyfriend finds such a passionate calling for it as well. Honestly there aren't a lot of men out there that would react the way he did: Me:"I just really want to go into the peace corps and do something bigger."
Colb: "Absolutely let's go."

And the rest is history.

On another note: I would really love to go to Africa, but Colby isn't as thrilled with that idea, simply because Africa holds 70% of the worlds Aids disease and the rape count is very high. So odds are that we're not going there.

Life Decisions.

The other night Colby and I were driving and talking about how we're almost out of school...then life really begins. I told him that I really wanted to join the peace corps, because I want to be able to make a difference on a worldly level not just here in the United States. We have it so good here in America, why not go somewhere and try and give a little? I just feel a calling for going out of my comfort zone and making an impact. Its a very good thing that Colby and I are on such a level where we're both open-minded and want to do the same things. He really wants to go too.

Here's the plan so far:

We sign up the end of this summer, graduate, get married next summer and leave time for a couple of months without jobs so we can spend times with our families, then its off to a third world country for two years.

Prospects thus far:

1. Bulgaria-- Bulgaria has a great program where I would be able to work with the orphanage..I told Colby we might get attached and adopt a few children-I wouldn't be opposed.
2. Romania- Colby really likes the idea of going to a soviet block country. Besides with Romania you get the Translyvanian alps...not to mention Translyvania.
3. Albania- It's wedged in with Greece, and Macedonia. It would be beneficial for us to go there because I'll be working in Education helping teach English as a foreign language, Colby may work with the youth as well, but he may work with environmental issues.
4. Thailand- The peace corps have been there since 1962 and that made us think that it may be pretty well established there and wouldn't be such a worry to us. Education Volunteers work in rural villages and towns across Thailand and collaborate closely with Thai educators in the primary English classroom to introduce, model, and share innovative new teaching approaches. Together, they integrate various topics into their English lessons (such as HIV/AIDS, environment, gender, information technology, and local wisdom and culture).
5. Morocco-Again working with children. The initial contact with youth is made through content-based English instruction at the Youth Center that is then the conduit for the implementation of outside activities. These activities may include organizing environmental clubs, planting trees, community cleanups, latrine building, sports teams, girls' education activities, youth mentoring, teaching computer skills, or teaching basic literacy to adults.

So here are 5 choices. We have to choose 5 because they may not be able to give us the exact location that we want, we're chosen by our skills and what country needs us the most.
VERY EXCITING! I'm stoked! Give me any input you wish, thanks.