June was NOT bustin' out all over...

*Fun
- Read the whole Little House series (Count 'em-9 books!) I am going to call this a DRAW because I read 7 of them and have started the 8th.  I didn't think they'd be that hard to get through but reading 9 books on top of another is tough! So DRAW
-Visit the lovely Lauren in her hometown of Henrietta. FAIL-She got a job so our schedules conflicted though I'm glad they did due to work ;) Yay for dollars! I guess we'll just have to plan another one!
-Visit my BFF in Pensacola, FL. FAIL-funds/time issues didn't make this happen BUT I was able to let another one of our friends know she she could visit in my place!
-Finish organizing my iPod-it is a LONG and tedious task but TOTALLY worth it! COMPLETE-IT. IS. AMAZING.
-Read A Death in the Family for the Boro Book Club. COMPLETE
-Have friends over for dinner at least twice. COMPLETE-Meal 1 was the 7-layer Tortilla Pie and Meal 2 was Caribbean Chicken both of which we had with John and Elisa!
-Create D.C. itinerary for our trip in July. DRAW-We picked things we'd like to do but due to their sporadic hours since it's a holiday weekend we are most likely going to delve into the trip on the actual days we're there, plus a forecast of rain the whole time we're there also puts a damper on things (pun intended!)
-Walk Tucker 3 times a week, where at least 1 will be to the Greenway (weather permitting).FAIL-I didn't take him to the Greenway at all BUT I almost made the 3 times per week thing with the exception of him being sick and the dang rain.
**ADDITION-See 2 one acts at Out Fron on Main with Tonya and her boyfriend Ben
**ADDITION-Visit the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg

*School
-Confirm registration for Fall classes. COMPLETE
-Set up GA schedule/hours with professors if I find out who I'll be working with. DRAW-I haven't found out who my professors are officially but if it's the same as last semester, we've already worked it out =]
-Get books/literature for Violence in the Family course in July. COMPLETE-A Prof. is letting me borrow=money saved!
-Prep for research in July. COMPLETE-We're finishing out the hours now!

*Health
-Come up with a meal plan for dinner 3 times per week IF funds allow. COMPLETE though I will say I thought it'd be easier and it was so much more cumbersome to know that I had an actual meal to plan a few times, haha!
-Start transitioning substitutes. This will be hard for me (and especially for Derrick) but I think that if I can do it slowly and subtly then we should have a good go with it! We've already traded out some sugars and some carbs so that's been good but I want to go a bit further with it-wish me luck! COMPLETE-We used a sour cream substitute, a healthier bread/grain bread/bun choice, and a ground beef sub. all of which are working fine.
-Book appointment(s) to get two crowns for my teeth *insert boos and hisses* Since they're SO expensive we'll have to break them up. DRAW-I booked them but since I didn't allot for time dealings via my school schedule I'll have to re-schedule, which  haven't yet done.

*Home
-Stay on top of cleaning. I was so busy with school in April that it caught up to me in May and took what felt like the whole month to feel normal again! No more-I do hope this goal lasts! COMPLETE-Yay!
-BUY BEDROOM CURTAINS AND MAKE THEM (Seriously this time! There's no excuse!) FAIL-really...is anyone surprised? It's looking like purchasing some pre-made ones is becoming a smarter and easier idea, LOL....
-Dry clean comforter. COMPLETE-though it wasn't exactly how I had anticipated...let's just say Tucker got very sick on it and that morning I took it immediately....


My tally is as follows:  COMPLETE- 10, DRAW- 4, FAIL- 4, ADDITIONAL- 2


Whew! And I thought I'd get it all done! July will be much more hectic with school, mine and der's work and life...I'll try to tone the goals down a bit =]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I have found that many people have many definitions of the word RESPECT.  Of what it means to give it, have it, earn it, how to loose it, learn it, keep it, etc.

And it makes me a bit uneasy, frankly.  I think because I don't know how I genuinely and honestly define it in my daily life.

Okay so I'm going to give it a try:

Respect, to me, means being decent.  It means believing in another person (through good and bad) and knowing that person does or tries their hardest to do the same thing for you.  Decency. It means that someone you hold values in (whatever your values may be) keeps those values and sometimes even earns that "gold star" in holding said values high above the others.  It means not having to always worry. I like to think of someone I respect kind of like a hero. Someone who you can admire, fear a bit, laugh with, cry on, and understand.

My mother, for example, is someone I hold in such high regards that I call her my hero and mentor and someone who I hold the utmost respect for.  And, in my eyes, this is why:

1) She's selfless-she will give anyone the shirt off of her back if she knows it will bring comfort and joy into their life and she doesn't think a thing abour it once it's gone.  She will never pine for that metaphorical shirt ever again and I appreciate and value that she holds a no regrets mentality when it comes to that selflessness.
2) She takes pride both in her self and her life.  She has days where complaining happens but I'd wager 99% of the time she takes what she's given and what she's made and makes the very best of what she has with the time she's got.
3) She feels the same way about me.  It sounds vain, but it's not meant to be.  She holds me in high regard and helps me see self-worth and happiness when sometimes I'm blinded. She makes me feel like I am someone who deserves respect and have thus so earned it in the grand scheme of things and in my personal life.

So, my question to you dear followers is this, and is much needed in helping me rid of my uneasiness:

How do you define respect?

Lynchburg, Tennessee

Last Saturday, Derrick and I hopped in the car and traveled to Lynchburg, Tennessee to visit the Jack Daniels Distillery! It was such a blast and to top it off: FREE!  Only an hours drive from the Boro, it sits in Monroe County off of some lovely green pastures and quaint towns surrounding it.

We couldn't take pictures actually inside where the whiskey was being made but we were able to take some of the surroundings and of the details.

The Jack Daniels Visitors Center

The aging of whiskey-from clear 140 proof grained alcohol to the amber colored-upper level (where the Jack single barrel is made) whiskey.

The funeral announcement for Mr. Daniels.

The Rack Yards-where the wood is soaked in whiskey and then burned for coal to make more whiskey-very neat.

A small coal barrel.

That building on the hill holds the whiskey barrels-each floor contains barrels aged differently to produce different tastes of the JD brand.

The cave spring-I bet that's some of the cleanest water around! This is the same spring Jack Daniels found and used in the late 1800s-still flowing and still making whiskey!

Mr and Ol' Mr. Jack Daniels-he was only 5' 2"!

The real safe located in Jack's old office that he kicked when he couldn't open it-ultimately leading to a limp and his death due to a gangrene infection!

In here we saw the whiskey being distilled drop-by-drop through the coal, we saw the yeast boiling, and we got a smell of that pure grain alcohol through these HUGE vats-talk about knock you on your feet! It was so strong you could almost taste it!

The Barrel House-this was so COOL! The smell of whiskey hits you like a home run ball but seeing the thousands of barrels housed in the"smallest" barrel house really showed us how huge Jack Daniels Whiskey really is-it's made in Tennessee and distributed all over the globe!

Me and Derrick-after the tour-walking the bridge to the Lynchburg Square.

On our way to the city.

The tiny square-it's such a small and cute town, being housed in Tennessee's smallest county!

Der and Jack-Derrick's almost a foot taller than him!

We had such a great time.  We had BBQ for lunch in the square before trekking back to the Boro.  It was a great day trip with gorgeous weather, interesting history, and a free tour.  A great day date, if I do say so myself.

I'd suggest this to anyone who wants to learn something about backwoods Tennessee and whiskey history!

Blatant Happy

Have you ever had those moments when nothing in particular happens to you but you feel so full of life and happiness and energy that you can't help but smile?

A friend of mine helped describe these moments as a definition of intimacy: where souls (or energy) connect and for those moment(s) nothing else is needed in the world-happiness and contentedness is reached on such a grand scale over (sometimes) nothing at all but you and it.

I've felt like that lately.

Just utterly happy and intimate with my life.

Tell me a story of when the world or your life has made you feel its intimacy.

"Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense." -Henry Miller

Have you ever put something into your body that you knew wasn't good for you and then, just to prove it, your body almost immediately rejects it?

Case in point: Sonic.

I have been eating fairly well this week and trying to eat small portions of the things that aren't so good for me.  Well last night, the husband and I decided to get something quick to eat since I didn't want to make dinner. Sonic it was and I got the worst things to eat: chicken finger sandwich, mozzarella sticks, and an Oreo blast.

Needless to say, my body, being blatantly pissed that I'd betray it with such crap, gave me about 10 minutes to savor it all before starting heavy stomach cramps and then promptly leaving my body.

10 minutes.

I should have known better.  But at least this way I didn't even have time to feel guilty for eating so horribly and my body gave me a 1 time get-out-of-jail-free-card so I can know better in the future.

Our bodies are so smart and independent.

So today: breakfast will be egg whites & 1 piece of plain toast, lunch will be fruit and a 6" sub sandwich, and dinner will be baked non-breaded chicken, peas and carrots-with a bit of dog walking and working out mixed in there.

I apologize to you body and today, I will make it up to you.

My poetry

In my old laptop, which is now on the fritz, I had a file of my poetry.  I won't say it was all glorious and bound for the next Agnes Lynch Starett Poetry Award, but it was something I was so proud of. 

Mom says I have the ability to write.  I don't know how much of that I believe.  My spelling is horrible and my vocabulary is not anywhere close to where it should be (though I will say my imagination and excitement over adjectives does give me a little "edge").

I haven't written anything of legitimacy in almost 3 years and it breaks my heart. 

I want my poetry back.  I want to see if it's still good or if I will be laughing and wishing I left the laptop dead.

But I miss my poetry. 

I really need to get that damned laptop fixed.

Do you have something from your past you want to re-submerge yourself into?

Hamburger Pie

So as part of my goal for meal planning, I made my first meal of the month based on our shopping list, budget, and meal plan!

It's called Hamburger Pie-so easy to make and yummy! This is a super quick and easy recipe though you can add to it to flavor how you like.

Basic Ingredients:
*1-1/2 lbs of lean beef
*1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
*2 cans of crescent rolls
*Shredded cheese of your choice

Suggested ingredients for extra UMPH:
*Finely chopped onions
*Green peppers
*Sour Cream

Directions:
1) Brown the beef on medium-high in large skillet
2) Once beef has browned, drain off fat and add soup into the beef. Stir together
3) Get 1 pie pan (size between 9in-12in) and layer bottom with 1 can of crescent rolls until sealed to sides.

4) Next, layer beef/soup mix over crescents and sprinkle as much cheese as you want over the beef. If you have left over meat mix, layer again.

5) Top layers with the other can of crescent rolls, sealing all sides and holes.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  It should look like this once it's done:

7) It looks like a pie! How cute!? So let it cool for about 5 minutes then slice into it and serve.  We didn't make it with any sides but I think a nice cool, crisp salad served before this would make this perfect. Check out the insides!

A bit blurry but I know you're drooling! See the messy cheese and the buttery soft crescents? 

YUM.

And that's it! Quick prep and cook time and you can make 483067192 ways! Add what you think will flavor it to your tastes and go to town!

ENJOY =]