It's a hardwood life for us

Recently Kurt and I got hardwood floors installed to replace our carpet. (Yes, Kelly Daniels, they are real hardwood.) We love love love them! Our rug came in yesterday, and I can't wait to see the whole ensemble!

You'll also notice I'm holding something. It's my new favorite toy -- the Swivel Sweeper! (Not to be confused with a Swiffer Sweeper.) Call me crazy, but this is what I asked Kurt to get me for my birthday in May. This broom/vacuum is amazing! It sucks on all sides and the head swivels 360 degrees! It is amazing, and it works wonders on our new floors.

Three years and counting

Today is August 13, 2008, and Kurt and I are celebrating our 3-year wedding anniversary. Our wedding day was a hot day, and we got married at 2:00 p.m. to ensure that lots of sun would shine through the church windows. The best part for me was sharing it with our friends who have been so faithful to us, helping us to build our relationship and to love one another. We have wonderful friends from college (and new ones in Tupelo, too!) and feel ABUNDANTLY blessed with our families as well.


This year we celebrated early by going to see Dave Matthews Band at Autozone Park in Memphis on August 2. It was a fabulous concert. We ran into some friends, bought some expensive water, inhaled some marijuana smoke from the "duuuuuuudes" in front of us, and dodged the sloshing beer from the middle-aged couple next to us doing dance moves only fit for MTV's "The Grind." (Dang security guards confiscated my Bombay Sapphire. I wish.) All in all, it really was a great concert. DMB is so talented, and I was so happy to go! And, Dave is a total babe. (See Kurt's take on the concert here.)

But, I have a confession to make. I'm pretty embarrassed about it. The Dave concert was only my (brace yourself)...2nd...concert to attend in my whole life! I mean, it was only my 2nd REAL concert to attend (because the 45 Christian music concerts I've attended do not count as real concerts. No arguments.).

My very first concert -- the Goo Goo Dolls at the Humphrey Coliseum at MSU when I was in 8th grade -- can only be attributed to my friend Christine Tibbett Barker (or is it Tibbett-Barker? Or still just Tibbett?). Her dad Ron -- best dad ever -- took us to the concert, and it took a lot of him convincing my grandmother for her to let me go. We got to stay out pretty late on a school night and even stopped to eat at Wendy's on the way home from the concert. Wild time, I know. But, that was my first concert experience, and I am thankful to Christine for that.

Christine has recently opened a bridal and formalwear store in Starkville called Christine's Couture. She was an Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising major at MSU. After graduating college, she lived in Atlanta and worked in fashion there, but now she is back in Starkville and her business is booming! Christine (with me on the right) has lovely merchandise for weddings (wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses) and formals/parties. If you or anyone you know are getting married or have a soirée to attend, please visit Christine's Couture at 201 E. Main St. in Starkville or on the web at www.christinescouture.com.

The girl who cried wolf...spider!

Last night (Wednesday) Kurt was at a church meeting, and I was home all by my lonesome. We have designated Thursday evenings to have friends and families from our church over for dinner. So, I was cleaning the house (since I was all alone and had nothing to do -- nothing on TV) to prepare for company.

Well, guess who decided to show up? A friggin' spider. In the sink. In the guest bathroom. And it was BIG. (I know most girls think all spiders are big, but I'm serious. This one was B-I-G.)

I saw it and started screaming. I hate being startled, as you may know, but being startled by a non-human is the worst! So, after a few shouted expletives, I ran to get the roach spray. Roach spray? Yes. Roach spray. (I don't think spider spray exists. If it does, I need to know.) I didn't want to smash it with a shoe or heavy book (like Ginger) so Kurt could see how big it actually was when he got home. Evidence is key, people.

I retrieved the roach spray and fogged the heck out of that freak in the sink. It didn't take long to poison him (an answer to prayer), and I left him there -- crumbled in the sink until Kurt got home. However, I immediately texted Kurt to explain my trauma. I could barely type the words because my hands were shaking.

Text convo:

Me - There is a huge spider in the guest bathroom sink. When are you coming home? Hurry!
Kurt - We aren't done yet. I'll be home as soon as it's over. You can smash it with one of my shoes if you want. Also the fly swatter will kill it. I'm sorry.
Me - I already sprayed it with roach spray. Come home!

So, he arrived about 30 minutes later. During that half hour waiting period, I frantically checked the sink every 5 minutes to make sure the dead spider was still in there and that the poison hadn't mutated it into a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade blimp-sized spider that was going to chase me down the hall and kill me. You know when you kill a bug and then you feel like they are everywhere?? Well, I did. I was watching my back and each step I took to make sure there were no more of his kind. YUCK.

Kurt finally came home and praised me as (direct quote) "Xena Warrior Princess." Dang right. He went to the bathroom to examine the corpse in the sink. He then said, "Oh. It's just a wolf spider. They aren't poisonous. They can't hurt you."

My response: "Well they certainly can't help me."

A Tisket, a Tasket...a really bad biscuit

Hardee's has the best biscuits of any fast food chain, in my opinion (which I don't need to state b/c it's my blog, so it's obviously my opinion.) They have a teeny crunch on the outside with soft, buttery goodness on the inside. They are so good, I don't feel the need to add anything to them. When I go, I order one plain biscuit -- that's all. No sausage. No Jelly. Just a plain ole biscuit.

Recently, for fun, I looked up the calorie count for said glorious biscuit. That's when I discovered why it tastes so good. Are you ready for this? A PLAIN biscuit from Hardee's -- PLAIN, people -- has 390 calories. 390!!! Unbelievable. That doesn't factor in your drink or any other food if you don't get full off of one biscuit. Wowser. You better plan to drink water the rest of the day if you are going to stay under 2,000 - 2,500 calories in a day. EEK!

Other caloric results from the Hardee's menu:

Jelly biscuit - 440

Sausage biscuit - 550

Bacon, Egg & Cheese biscuit - 520

Biscuit and Gravy - 530

Hash rounds (16) - 230

Hamburger - 270

Cheeseburger - 320

Double cheeseburger - 480

Frisco burger & Classic Bacon cheeseburger - 720

Double bacon cheeseburger - 1,000

Monster burger (a whopping) - 1,060

Fried Chicken sandwich - 480

Grilled Chicken sandwich - 350

Fisherman's Filet (whatever that is) - 530

Regular sized french fries - 340

Peach Cobbler - 310

Chocolate shake - 370

Apple Turnover - 270

And the sodium count is worse! Sadly, I must say goodbye to the plain biscuit (and, maybe, Hardee's in general) except for special occasions in the future like trying to gain weight for a pregnancy or an acting role in a film or, perhaps, a really bad day...

Bothered by 'Cussing'? Join the club...literally

A cute little 8th grade boy from California, McKay Hatch, started a No Cussing Club (NCC). (Visit http://www.nocussing.com/ for proof).

This is hilarious! At one time, likely when I was his age, I'd be all over this idea -- pledging, printing out my certificate, buying a wrist band. Now, I just think it's so funny.

View the song he wrote and music video below. Aren't legalists cute? Perhaps he has a future as a Christian rap artist...

Sneeze Training

I have allergies, so I sneeze a lot. Kurt has enrolled me in sneeze training. Recently he started critiquing my sneezes, accusing me of holding them in (like Ginger) instead of letting them burst forth, if you will. Well, it's not true. I let my sneezes go full-force from my nostrils. However, Kurt believes I should open my mouth as well when I sneeze. He has encouraged me to try to make the "Achoo!" sound during my nasal expulsions. So, I'm giving it a try. How do you sneeze?

Also, Kurt and I were talking the other day about how people age and their minds begin to slip. I told him that I was scared about what I will say when I lose the filter that connects from my mind to my mouth (albeit, the very thin filter that I am constantly working on thickening) because, believe it or not, I do hold back sometimes... He said, "I don't think it'll be that much of a transition." Thanks, honey.

I don't "do" breath

Call me crazy, but I don't like breath. It is often hot, moist, and it sometimes smells. That's why I avoid close-talkers and try always to have gum or mints handy for me and my friends. If a person's breath smells during a conversation, I'm smiling, but I'm holding my breath, too.

For instance, I don't like sleeping down-breath (similar to down-wind) from anyone because they might breathe on me. I can't breathe another person's breath. I have to breathe clean, cold air when I sleep, or no sleep for me!

I also never understood when, in high school, my friends' moms would smell their teenagers' breath when they got home from hanging out with friends to make sure they hadn't been smoking or drinking. I mean, who volunteers to smell a person's breath?!?! Gross. If we face that problem in the future, Kurt will have to be on breath-duty. I refuse.

One time I was trying to explain to Kurt that I didn't want to smell his breath, so I told him, "I don't do breath." "You don't do breath?" he responded. So, now if the topic of breathing on people in any way comes up, Kurt knows to explain, "Oh, Marty doesn't do breath."

One time in church we sang "Breathe on Me, Breath of God." Kurt and I died laughing because -- it's true -- I don't do breath. In the car after church, Kurt asked me what sort of theological predicament this presented for me. I mean, the idea of God breathing on me (any breath, really) gives me retard tingles. But I told Kurt that, since God is perfect, I bet he has perfect-smelling breath, so I could likely tolerate it for the sake of my own sanctification...I guess.