Tonight, I was sitting on the couch watching "John and Kate Plus 8" when it started raining. All the downstairs windows were open, so the sound of the rain was so very soothing, and it smelled so nice and clean. And then the thunder came, which made both dogs come and cuddle in my lap. It was a sweet moment...except I think one of the dogs had gas.
So I've admittedly been "off" lately, and I have just been so tired of it. Isn't it amazing though, how God meets you exactly at your point of need? The cliche phrase "He's an on time God," as overused as it may be, is indeed very true.
Today being Sunday, we went to church. In all honesty, it's been a couple weeks, so I was thoroughly looking forward to this morning's service. And through it I was reminded in many ways just how awesome our God is. Kevin and I are blessed to be members of an amazing church, Hope and Life Fellowship. The way that we found Hope and Life is pretty cool, and something I can only describe as a "God-thing." One of my favorite things about our church is the Pastor's willingness to be open to the Spirit, rather than stuck to a format. And today is one of those days where format was thrown to the wind. There were obviously some hurting people in church today, and myself being one of them, I was ready and willing to receive. We were reminded to lift our worship instead of our worry, something we all know, but it's so easy to let problems overshadow truth sometimes.
A huge theme in metro Atlanta, and from what I understand, the Southeast as a whole, is a scarcity of gas. And today Pastor Tony used that as a metaphor, applying it to our spiritual lives. So today, rather than be on E, as I have felt in recent weeks, I am claiming to be full. Full of Joy, full of Peace, and full of Strength that God has given me to keep pushing through in a difficult time.
Those three words best describe the past week of my life. I don't know what's going on with me lately. I have found no motivation for anything. Work, cooking, cleaning, none of it. I cooked a pound of pasta on Monday, and we have been eating it every night since. Keeping the house straight has taken just about every ounce of mental energy I have inside. And work has been no different. I just feel like I'm going through an awkward/weird phase right now.
There are some serious transitions on the horizon at work, and I'm not yet sure how they will affect me. I'll go into more detail later, but some of it is still pretty "hush hush" at the office. But I know that things are going to change, and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself, while still taking care of my current responsibilities. Not easy.
And that's just my job. The status of the economy and the housing market in Atlanta are really starting to take their toll at home. It's hard to continue our day to day life and just ignore the elephant in the room. The fact that any day now my husband could come home and say that he no longer has a job. Having already experienced that once as a family, I know that we could handle it, I just really don't want to go through that again. We're both trying to be proactive about it and do as much as we can. Spunk Marketing is really taking off, and getting some great jobs. And I am avidly searching for a part-time job to help us pay off some debt and be ahead of the curve.
But the job hunt in itself I think is part of the problem. I've been searching for several weeks now to no avail. The whole process tends to bring up all the feelings of failure and rejection that I have been trying to put to rest for the past two years. How could I not take it personally when I've applied to a dozen places, and have not received even one call?
Possibly the most frustrating thing of all is that I know better. I know better than to place my value in what a total stranger may or may not think about me. I know better than to sit at home in a funk when God has already broken the curse of depression on my family. I know better than to worry about jobs or money because He promises to take care of me. Yet here I sit. Afraid, frustrated, worried...in a funk.
So I woke up late this morning. Which means I had to sacrifice washing my hair. So I did my best to fluff it up with hairspray and baby powder, and got my butt to work on time. But you know how it goes when you're having one of "those" mornings...one thing is just not enough. So while I was sitting in my morning office meeting, right in front of the boss, and with the whole office watching, I spilled coffee all down the front of my shirt! It was priceless...and I felt like a retard. Thank God we keep a huge stockpile of t-shirts in the back! So although I didn't quite match today, and I had flat, yucky hair, at least I gave everyone a good laugh first thing in the morning, and we started the day on a funny note. I wish I had a before and after picture for you, but I obviously wasn't thinking on my feet this morning. Let's hope for a better tomorrow.
So this is the follow-up to the Peeping Tom story. In case you didn't read it, let me give you the short version. There has been a crazy man who the police have determined to be a Peeping Tom, seen in our neighborhood in at least nine instances since May. Kevin and I just found out about it last week. I think we have all become a little more cautious. I am definitely wary of going outside at night when Kevin isn't around. And we leave all the outside lights on all night long. In fact, our cul-de-sac almost looks like a football stadium it is so bright at night now. But other than that, we're not taking it too seriously. We have, however, put together some interesting puzzle pieces of the happenings in our neighborhood over the past few months.
When Kevin and I found this house, it was perfect! Not only was it the perfect size and price range, but it is located in a quiet little neighborhood which is very different from most new communities these days. It is a very wooded area where the houses are several hundred feet apart, with trees in-between. Having grown up in a similar environment, I was pumped to be regaining our privacy. The 11 months spent in our little townhouse were 11 months too long.
Well a few months ago, several of our neighbors began cutting down trees. Some even cleared out their whole yards. For the life of us, Kevin and I could not understand why they would do this. The best part of where we live is the privacy! Then, on Saturday morning, we finally started piecing the puzzle together. Our immediate neighbor, who barely cuts his grass, let alone maintains his landscaping, was cutting down trees in-between our houses! Now we have only had one conversation with this man, but in that one exchange, we learned a couple things. One, he moved into this area to maintain privacy and not be bothered, and two, he works for some branch of local law enforcement. So as we stood there looking out the window, we could not figure out why he would be opening up space between our houses. And then it hit us. He, along with our other tree-killing neighbors, was scared.
Now I understand that we all want to be safe, and to protect our families. But is ruining the peaceful setting of our neighborhood really necessary? Do we really think that cutting down some trees is going to deter a man who doesn't seem scared by previous arrests? Not to mention the fact that everyone around here believes in, and takes advantage of, the right to bear arms. So maybe we should think twice before upsetting the thing which makes our community so unique in a fast-paced life. Kudos to the people who are getting together and forming a neighborhood watch rather than cowering in their homes and cutting down their trees. Maybe you should send a second invite to our neighbors who are hiding out in their closets.
So about a week and a half ago, we boarded Meah and Dakota with my mom so that we could go to PCB in peace. When we got back home, we realized that the girls had a slight cough. We pretty much just assumed it was Kennel Cough. So I called my regular Vet, and he recommended that we start giving them some cough syrup and see how they did. Well by Monday their cough had gotten pretty bad. In fact, yesterday afternoon when I got home from work and had them outside to potty, they were coughing so badly that the neighbors were in their own yards looking at me like I was crazy. So I figured that it was time for a trip to the Vet to get some real medicine.
I was pretty upset when I found out that my regular Vet was out of town for the next three weeks! But several friends had recommended Summit Chase Animal Hospital to me, so I figured I would give it a try. I called, and they were able to get me in at 5:20 today. Great, right? So I started asking all the right questions. Mainly, what are they getting done, and how much will I have to pay. Hey, I love my dogs, but they don't always fit in the budget. So let me relay my morning conversation with the receptionist:
BW: What are they having done, and how much does it cost?
Vet: Kennel Cough (aside) Mary, how much does Kennel Cough cost? $14
B: And what are they having done?
V: Kennel Cough.
B: And What does that entail? Exam? Lab? Test? What exactly is being done?
V: Something is being squirted in their nose.
B: No, I don't need the vaccine, they already had the vaccine.
V: Something is being squirted in their nose.
At this point, I thanked them for squeezing me in and got off the phone. By now I'm already a little annoyed. They didn't ask for very much information, and I wasn't very convinced that she knew what she was talking about, but they did squeeze me in, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Also, I remembered recently seeing a sign saying that they were looking for a new receptionist. So about 15 minutes later, I receive a call. Here is conversation # 2.
V: Did you just call Summit Chase Animal Hospital?
B: Yes. (thinking: duh...didn't you call the phone # I just gave you? Why didn't you at least
greet me or ask for "Mrs. Webb?")
V: Okay, I need to get some information from you.
B: Ok.
V: What is your name?
B: Brittany Webb (I just told you this!)
V: And your dogs names
B: Meah and Dakota
V: And breeds
B: MinPin Rat Terrier Mix and Mixed Breed (really, again?)
V: Okay, now we can get you scheduled.
B: Okay, thank you. (I thought we already did that)
I'm more than concerned by now, but I tell myself that it was just the new girl and she didn't know what she was doing, so someone had to go behind her. I did, by the way, call another vet, but they couldn't get them in so I had faith in my friends and stayed with Summit Chase Animal Hospital.
I took off work early, sped home to get the dogs, and went back out to get to Summit Chase Animal Hospital. When I walked in, the receptionists looked at me like I had no place there. I told her I had a 5:20 appointment for Meah and Dakota, and she told me that my appointment was for tomorrow. I politely informed her that she had told me today, or I would not have taken off work. Someone finally spoke up and said that I was right. One hurdle down. I went to sign in, and I was told not to (because apparently I didn't have an appointment, and God forbid my name be on the sign-in sheet). By this point Dakota had already pooped on the floor. I apologized and asked for something to clean it up with. They told me they would get it, and then left it there (in front of the door) for at least 10 minutes. In the meantime I filled out the paperwork as quickly as possible to respect their time. People came and went while I sat in the lobby. Finally they took me to the back. Thankfully, the Tech and the Vet were as nice as could be and the dogs seemed to enjoy the visit. But once it came time to check out, my terrible experience continued. The receptionist, who hasn't been one bit friendly since I walked in, informed me that I owed $163, and I nearly threw up on the floor. When I relayed the morning's conversation to her, she informed me that they had to have an exam, and that was $40. I again told her what I was told this morning, and she just pretty much looked at me like I was a moron. So what choice did I have but to pay...the services had been rendered, and they needed the medicines, which accounted for the other $80. Let me tell you, it took everything in me to not cry right there, just out of frustration. Needless to say, I will never return to Summit Chase Animal Hospital for any reason. It has been quite awhile since I have been made to feel so belittled and taken advantage of. I am absolutely furious at the lack of customer service, misinformation given by staff, and the general lack of concern for their clients.
Sorry for the rant, but I needed to vent. If you're still reading this, Bless You.
Kourtney on the beach
Love that smile!
Still not sure how she feels about me
I wish I could've seen this unfold...
And full-on tantrum!
Our only picture of baby McKenna
Coloring with Kourtney Christmas 2006
Kevin making Kourtney a reindeer
McKenna finally cooperating for a picture...so she could get a make-over
Silliness at the bowling alley
Kourtney the ham
Chaos in a restaurant :)
Blake Christmas 2007They brought Blake to visit this summer!I have always been afraid of the dark. Ever since I was a little kid. I can remember having a night light, but even then I thought that when I stepped off of the bed something was going to reach out from underneath it and grab my feet. So once I got too cool for the night light, I would just jump as far as I could from the bed to the light switch so that nothing could "get me."
This hasn't changed, even in adulthood. While I no longer jump from the bed to the light switch, I still prefer to not be in a dark room by myself. In fact, Kevin knows that if he locks me in the pantry, the only room in the house without a light, I will surely freak out and start screaming. we have lived in our home for two and a half years, and it is in a great location. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac, and it's nice, private, wooded lot. For the past year and a half we have had dogs. And it wasn't until recently that I had finally become reasonably comfortable taking them outside to potty late at night in the dark. When I say dark, I mean that our outside lights were on, but everything outside the area of our lights was pitch dark. For the past week or so, I have noticed that our neighbors to either side have been keeping their lights on at night. I thought it was strange, but chalked it up to coincidence and never mentioned it to Kevin.
Imagine my surprise when yesterday Kevin came in from talking to our neighbor and had quite a story for me. Apparently there has recently been a Peeping Tom lurking around our neighborhood. He has target a 17-year-old girl down the street in particular, and has left notes in her mailbox, as well as been caught staring in her window, and once even made his way into her house! He was also seen coming out of the woods behind our next door neighbor's house! The wife was in the driveway checking the mail when she saw him and screamed. Luckily, her husband is a local sheriff, and came out with gun in hand. I don't know how the events unfolded after that, but what I do know is definitely enough to creep me out!
Today I went to take the dogs to the groomer and noticed pink flyers on all of the mailboxes in our neighborhood. They were warning of the strange man, and informing us of a neighborhood watch program that was in the process of being organized. What really startled me though, was that these instances have been going on since May, and we were just now finding out about it. So needless to say, my fear of the dark has manifested itself again full force. Granted, it's with good reason now. So if you think about it, say a little prayer for us that they catch this creep. In the meantime, at least I've got two vicious watchdogs to protect me.
So I've already told you that we lost our camera. Well the last place that we can remember having it is my parent's house, so I called my mom and asked her to look for it for me. Good news...she tells me she has a camera that fits my description, which went something like this - oldest digital camera ever made, barely a megapixel, and roughly the size of a brick. Yay! So we went down there last weekend...and believe it or not they also have an old digital camera the size of a brick. So while we were disappointed that it wasn't our camera, the good news is that they let us keep it. Today I was flipping through the pictures, and imagine my surprise when I realized that it held over 400 pictures, and they date back to when Kevin and I first started dating. Most of them are of mom's houseful of pets, but there are some that I thought were worth sharing. Granted, none of them are very flattering, but they provided me some giggles, so here you go...
My mom snapped this on Kevin's second visit to our home...creepy, Mom. Ha ha.
Graduation Day...WooHoo!
Check out Kevin's hair...I will never see that again!
My Hot Husband on our Big Day
One of my favorite Roomies pics ever!
It's official!
Cutting the cake...
Kevin and the "Dollar Down" in front of our old apartment.
Our first Christmas...I am high, and Kevin is...fat.
We think we're sexy. HA HA!
Me, Evan back in his innocent days, and a few of the Joyner Zoo.
Next time I talk about cutting my hair, someone please remind me of this mushroom!
Okay, so this is just from last week, but she is so cute! Kevin and I are very fortunate to have some great hook-ups through my parents. One of my dad's clients has a condo on Panama City Beach that they let us use occasionally, at no charge! So this past weekend we took advantage of their kindness, and spent a three day weekend in Florida. We invited our friends the Evans to accompany us, and together I think we had a weekend worth blogging about.
Thursday night after work, we drove down to Columbus, where we dropped off our dogs with my parents (Thank you mom - another blessing!) and picked up Mike and Jeanine. By this time it is already 10:00pm for our drive to the beach. For those of you who know me, I like to get my beauty sleep, so I'll brag on myself here and say that I was a trooper for the ride down there, and was even perky for our grocery shopping trip, which put us at the condo and ready for bed about 3:00am.
We went down there with a plan - to have as much fun as possible, while spending as little money as we could get away with. Well as far as I'm concerned, Mission Accomplished. Every morning started with breakfast cooked by Jeanine, and then a trip to the beach. We spent less time on the beach than I would've liked, but more than Kevin wanted, so we met in the middle somewhere with bocce ball, frisbee, and the pool. Friday night we played 36 holes of putt-putt (I would like to say that I won...but I didn't). Saturday we went to Pier Park. It was a pretty cool outdoor mall with some great ice cream and candy shops, where I enjoyed some delicious cappuccino chip ice cream. Sunday morning we got up early and made our way back to Columbus to spend some time with my parents. I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all, at least at one time or another.
I think the things that made the trip most enjoyable for me were the learning experiences that I gained as a wife. Every trip Kevin and I have taken as a married couple has been a lesson in the art of compromise. But this trip in particular provided the opportunity for us to use another young married couple as a mirror in which to view ourselves. I must admit, it was a very eye-opening experience. I probably learned as much about compromise and communication in the past week as I have in the past year. This weekend made me proud of my marriage, and the vast leaps and bounds that we have grown over the past three years.
Here are some pics of the long weekend. Enjoy!
The weather was gorgeous all weekend!
Yeah, I look like a wet dog but who cares, it's vacation!
This is the life!
We are retarded!
Much better
Mike and Jeanine
Better at posing than putt-putt
Old friends. Good times. Today is officially mine and Kevin's three year anniversary. Definitely a cause for celebration. So Kevin tells me he'll take me anywhere I want to go for dinner. But how do I respond? No, I want to stay home and relax with you. So I created these great plans, trying to make today at least slightly more special than the rest. The menu was ambitious (for me, at least):
Salmon
Broccoli with cheese sauce
Baked Potatoes
Dinner Rolls
Sparkling Grape Juice
and for dessert...Apple Dumplings.
I know, I know...it sounds pretty simple. But cooking is not my forte, and I have never made apple dumplings before. And since Kevin has been begging me to make them for him, I figured tonight was a good night to try. So my grandiose plans included sequestering Kevin in his office, so he wouldn't know exactly what I was making. Well after an hour or so of hearing me grumbling to myself and apologizing for there still being no food at 9:00, Kevin was even offering to help. Just when I thought the difficult stuff was over, and I could finish cooking and begin our romantic, candlelight dinner (no cliche' here, ha ha), a pot of boiling sugar water boiled over, nearly scorching both myself and the dog. Now I am running around like a maniac opening windows, trying to fan out the smoke, to avoid the screeching sound of the smoke detector. Disaster. Now Kevin is really curious, but I've kept him at bay for so long, there's no point in giving in now. So I throw the dumplings in the oven, finish cooking, and we sit down to dinner. Once we are finally at the table, my wonderful, loving husband looks at me and says "not to be rude, but what exactly took you so long?" (He was still not aware of the dumplings in the oven).
So we finally sat down to dinner at our kitchen table with the nice plates, candles lit, tall glasses of sparkling cider in the champagne flutes we used at our wedding reception, me with my hair in an updo wearing a little black dress, and Kevin in basketball shorts and a cutoff tee. And we laughed. At how different we looked, at the disaster that I created that somehow turned into a decent meal, and at my failed attempt at a romantic meal. I would post pictures at the odd couple that we looked like, but we've lost our camera. I guess the moral of the story is to always be willing to laugh together, even if things don't turn out quite the way you plan.
By the way, the dumplings which gave me such a difficult time turned out great, in case you were wondering!
In the beginning...
Yes, we are retarded
We're engaged!
The Webb Family
Three years, one house, and two dogs laterToday we went over to John and Joslyn's house for a Labor Day par-tay! It was so great hanging out with friends, and just relaxing. It's been months since the days of weekly bonfires at the Webb home. Budget restraints and general busy-ness have caused us to become slightly less social. But just sitting down with old (and new) friends today reminded me just how much I miss that part of life.
I haven't really spent much quality time with girlfriends since college. Granted, I work in an office with about 15 other women, but while they may be fun, we don't exactly share the same values. So it was great spending quality time with good church friends, even if we were surrounded by men, Mario Kart, babies and dogs. I guess being married, and becoming focused on building a life with my husband has made me forget the importance of good girl friends. Sadly, the one local friend that I have put the most energy into getting to know will be moving away this weekend. So I must admit, although I often play the part of the loner, at times living away from friends and family has left me feeling a little lonely.
So I guess this post is a shout-out of appreciation to old friends for great memories and shoulders when I need them, a thank you and welcome to new friends, and a toast to moving on and embracing the life that God is building for me here in Loganville.
P.S., pics will be up soon, I just have to wait for Kevin to stop working long enough for me to pull some off of his computer.
