haha funny

As soon as I published my last blog with "addicted" in the title, different blogger sponsered website links to drug rehabs popped up! haha

I'm definately addicted...

to coffee! I'm sure your not surprised. Like any good addict I've always told myself that I can quit whenever I want and not look back. I have actually tried it and switched to black tea but "my precious" as I call it, drew me back in. This morning my addiction became ever so clear when I was waiting for my first cup at Starbucks this morning. (Yes, I know Starbucks is the devil but darn it, its the only one close by with a drive thru. Like other Americans I need things fast because I'm always rushing around like a madwoman) Ok, I place my order for a venti Americano. Side note: And that's another aspect of myself that I discovered: the coffee drink I order reflects the mood I'm in and the day that I'll have. For example- this morning, venti Americano (3 espresso shots in water) means I need a major kick in the butt to get me going for a busy day. Grande soy vanilla latte means I got enough sleep last night and want to start off the day slow and enjoy my day. Grande chai latte means that I need a sugar high which usually indicates I'm going to see people or have to present something at work. Chai=craaaazy Katy.
Anyways, back to my story. I placed my order and for some reason the line was especially slow this morning so my impatience self kicks in. And since its the morning (not a morning person) and I haven't had coffee yet the side effects kick in: anger, frustration, head ache, slight stomach cramps, headache, abdominal bleeding (haha just kiddinng on the last one). And then, as soon as the annoying Starbucks employee stops trying to make small talk with me in the morning hands me my cofee--ahhh sigh of releif. Just to have it in my hands. I hold the hot cup in my hand and am assured by its mere presence. I sip it slowly, enjoying each drop. :)

Another one bites the dust

Last night David and I had our friends Emily and Matt Murphy over for dinner because they are leaving Friday to move back home to Maine. They have lived here a year longer than us and finally got so homesick that they've decided to move home. Of course being around Emily, who is obviously excited about seeing her family and talks about all the stuff she'll soon be doing with them, really makes me miss my family. I try to listen to her and not be discouraged myself. Emily has a younger sister who just started college so she wants to be there to help, she misses her parents, the weather, fresh water without crocodiles, and old friends. And its hard to listen to because it brings up memories for me.
They were also good friends to us. We used to go to the beach together, our dogs all played together. (Poor Roman is losing his 2nd girlfriend in a year) They were also our first friends to do Friday card night with us. We used to play cards on Fridays every other week. I met Emily when I worked at Everglades University. Living here has only been hard in that there are so many people that we've met and become close to, and then move away. I'm not kidding, there's probably been at least 10 friends of ours that have moved away within the year and a half we've lived here. I don't really know what it is, the heat, the average age of the population here, but its hard to see more friends go every year. Makes it even harder to have a positive attitude about pursuing new friends as well, since there's a chance they'll move away anyways. Maybe there's like a 2 year cut off for sanity here in Sarasota. That means we have about 6 months to figure out how we feel. But I think its all about your attitude and perception about the place you live. As my mother always said, "hapiness is a choice". There's beauty everywhere and even though it may not be as comfortable as home, it still has the possibility to be your home. Most of my old friends are all over the globe right now, which makes it easier I guess in not feeling your missing out on so much. But it definately has me thinking, and praying.

Breaking News: New book by J.R.R. Tolkien to be released in May (06.01.09)

HarperCollins is to publish a new book by the late Lord of the Rings author J R R Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, edited and introduced by Tolkien’s son Christopher, will be published in hardback in May 2009.
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun FAQ - for all latest info on the new Tolkien book

The previously unpublished work was written while Tolkien was professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University during the 1920s and '30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The publication will make available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and the Fall of the Niflungs.

AND I JUST BOUGHT IT!! If your a J.R.R Tolkien fan you've got to pick one up!

I want this!

Main Entry: life
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: animation, spirit
Synonyms: activity, being, breath, brio, dash, energy, enthusiasm, entity, esprit, essence, excitement, get-up-and-go, go*, growth, heart, high spirits, impulse, lifeblood, liveliness, oomph*, sentience, soul, sparkle, verve, viability, vigor, vitality, vivacity, zest*, zing*, élan vital, élan*
from Thesaurus.com

On a more positive note...

Didn't want to just spew negativity so if you haven't heard about Kiva, its an amazing organization. Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe. You can make a loan to an entrepreneur across the globe for as little as $25. Its brilliant I tell you!!
Check it out at www.kiva.org and change a life!!!!

Annoyed

So I don't know if its part of life's maturity process but I just feel more and more annoyed with things. Maybe its just this week but I have to say small things have started to get on my nerves. Now this is strange because I consider myself a laid back person...most things don't even bother me. So why now in life? Here's a few things that I have been recently annoyed about...
-Old people. Not the sweet, grandma type that we all know and love. But the old cranky mean type that like to cut you off without looking in their mirrors or drive 40 miles UNDER the speed limit while getting onto the highway...ARRGGG and I have to say in Florida you can't go a block without running into one either. Sorry granny, this is not YOU of course.
-Getting up early. I don't know if your a morning person or not but its soo difficult for me to wake up early. I thought I could do it since in high school I used to get up at like 5 am to open Kennedy Coffee with Jessa. But David and I are now carpooling since we have one car and he has to be at work by at least 7:15. So that means that we have to take showers, iron our clothes, walk the dogs, eat breakfast, guzzle coffee by 6:50 to get to work by 7:15. I hear it gets better the more you do it but I don't know if that applies to me.
-People that criticize church. I cant take it anymore! I have people in my life that say they don't like religion and start prattling off the history of opression in the Christian church/The Crusades/crapola and I feel like a broken record saying back, "Its not about religion, its about a relationship." I guess I'm the type of person people feel they can be honest with but hey, slow it down, and try it at leat once, then you can knock it all you want. But at least try. I don't criticize corned beef cause hey- I've never tried it.
-When people smoke around me. I don't care if people smoke, I used to. Its a bad habit but whatever, its your choice. But when they chain smoke in my face without any consideration to turn your head so I don't smell like an ashtray later annoys me. Please, if your going to smoke go right ahead, but please be curteous.
- The media REALLY annoys me. I can't even watch the news anymore, CNN or FOX without rolling my eyes. Its so out of control. These days its more about the font than it is about the integrity of the news. And global news is a joke. Always negative. David and I have a joke where if we do watch the news it always runs in a 3then 1 pattern. 3 bad peices of news for every 1 peice of good news. Watch and see. I think our country's mental recession comes from watching too much news and not really learning anything of substance.
Ok, so perhaps I am cynnical. Maybe because I got up early this morning and am only half way through my cup of coffee. After the first cup life seems to come more into focus. Blah I'm done.

-

Family time!!

I have to say I love family time. I'm such a sucker for it. David's parents, David and Debbie came to visit us for this past week and it was so fun! I mean, they aren't like my parents who fall asleep as soon as the sun goes down, they were actually hard to keep up with! We went out to eat, made Mahi dinners, went to Ray's games, went to the beach, watched sunsets, went shopping, toured some homes....and the list goes on. I was amazed to see them so active, I mean compared to my parents! And we talked. and talked. and talked. And I loved it! Talking to people who know you can be compared to nothing else. It was sincerely refreshing.
We got ice cream nearly every night, watched movies, I mean it was fantastic! Its so amazing to have a peice of home here in Sarasota. And then you realize just how much you do actually enjoy your city. Its more fun hosting other people and you hear yourself describing directions and you think-yeah I really do know this place! Where all the cool places are to eat, where the best views of the sunset are, most delicious margheritas, where to find the most shells. And it hits you- THIS IS HOME.

Guilty guilterston

The title is, by the way, my nickname. I called in sick to work today because I have some serious cramps and nausea today from lovely miss come-once-a-month. I mean, I could barely get out of bed, I feel like I need a wheelchair bad. So I tough it out, take a shower, get dressed, go to work and then realize- OUCH I can't walk this hurts so bad. So I decide to hey with it I'm going back home. Call my boss, she says is fine. But still, here I am in bed relaxing, feeling better now that I'm horizontal, but I still feel guilty. Never called in sick. But still guilty. I hate that feeling...

Why I do what I do

For those of you who haven't had the recent scoop on my life I am now working as a Family Support Worker for Healthy Families Florida. My job is to initiate and maintain long term relationships with families through a home visiting program that links families with the community, provides necessary resources, as well as the latest and greatest parenting and safety information. Many of our families are first time parents and basically want more training on how to be a better parent. We have some awesome parent and child bonding activities (even prenatally) that help initiate the relationship early on. We hope that through our efforts we lesson the occourance of child and abuse and neglect. I basically help moms and dads fall in love with their babies! What could be better?
Here's a link to Healthy Families America website if you want more info:
http://www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org/home/index.shtml
Also, here's a portion of a recent article published that reminds me why I do I what I do.
Important News For Florida’s Young Children….

Key Indicators Show Florida Is No Place For Children – The Lawton Chiles Foundation issues a press release indicating how Florida’s children are faring worse than ever before. Among the evidence:

Florida now ranks 50th in overall child well-being.
Florida has the highest rate of uninsured children of any state-more than twice the median rate.
Florida has one of the highest juvenile incarceration rates across the country, with more than 70 percent of youth in custody for non-violent offenses, higher than the national average.

Florida lags behind the country in much of its pre-K programs. Early prevention is key!~ OK I'll stop preaching, just wanted to share.