Sleepyhead Log

7:45 AM: Woke up, checked email, read some political news
8:15 AM: Coffee, pizza, Created shipping labels for wedding albums
9:30 AM: Went back to bed with Mike after he got home from Dr. appt
10:30 AM: Woke up again, packaging up wedding albums to send, uploaded Kristin's pictures from CD to Flickr
12:30 PM: Ate pizza for lunch
1 PM: Continued working on mailing stuff
2 PM: Showered and got ready
3 PM: Research seminar
4:30 PM: Got home
5 PM: Took a nap
6:45 PM: Woke up hungry, made Melting Pot reservation for 8 PM, looked at large turtle swimming in pond
7:30 PM: Went to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate (yum)
8:45 PM: Called mom on the way home, hung out with Mike
11:15 PM: Ate wedding cake (yum), checked email, paid credit card bill

(1 hour logged for school, 6.5 hours for the week not including weekends)

Goal for this weekend: watch 2 geovis videos


Pam!

Wordle

Time in a Bloggle

It seems like I never have time to get everything done. Of course, I am sure that this isn't a problem isolated to just me. So, I am going to try to keep a daily log of what the heck I actually do every day, starting today.

8:30 AM: Woke up, checked email
9 AM: Checked class website, downloaded Tableau
9:30 AM: Ate breakfast (Pizza Hut pizza, later Lucky Charms), showered, made bed
10 AM: Paid Dr. bill, made Dr. appt. (why are my big toes numb?), Created plan for watching Geovis videos and reading qualifying exam articles, looked at baby shower cakes for Amy and Angela
10:45 AM: Cuddled with Mike in big chair, drank a cup of coffee
11 AM: Reread CHI paper outline
11:30 AM: Sent in PhD progress report, mailed panoramic X-Ray to TMJ specialist
12 PM: Lunch (PB&J sandwich), installed Tableau
1 PM: Met with Erin and Okan
2 PM: Geovis meeting
2:30 PM: Checked GASP
3:30 PM: Class
5 PM: HCI meeting
6:45 PM: Got home, Mike made dinner
7 PM: Ate dinner, vegged on couch
8:30 PM: Tried to nap, cuddled with purr-head Scuro
9:30 PM: Got up from nap, Mike fed Ru, squeezed a huge zit starting to form on my chin
10 PM: Packaged wedding photo books for bridal party, updated blog
10:30 PM: Figured I should get off the computer

(5.5 hours logged for school)

Pam!

Hottest Picture of Mike EVER!

Here is a picture of my *husband* when he was either in the last years of high school or first years of college. Sorry, just had to share this yumminess. ;-)


Sorry for not updating this blog lately. Too much going on. Take a look at the wedding blog.

Seasons

ARE YOU A REASON, A SEASON, OR A LIFETIME?

(Note from one of my best friends)
This is a message you sent me ages ago, I found it
while digging through old emails and it made me smile.
I just wanted to share that smile with you. To me
you have always been and always will be a friend for a
lifetime. You have taught me more than you know,
brought me greater joy than I can express, and I love
you more than any words I will be able to find.

When someone is in your life for a REASON. . .
It is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
to provide you with guidance and support, to aid
you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They
may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are
there for the reason you need them to be. Then,
without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an
inconvenient time, this person will say or do
something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met,
our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer
you sent up has been answered. And now it is time
to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON.
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you
laugh. They may teach you something you have never
done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a
season.


LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime
lessons: things you must build upon in order to have
a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept
the lesson, love the person, and put what you have
learned to use in all other relationships and areas
of your life. It is said that love is blind but
friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life!!!
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
And dance like no one is watching.

Catching Curly

Curly lives on the window sill in the living room. Muhammed gave him to me as a housewarming present. Well, I was trying to open the window, and off falls Curly. So, I try to catch him; however, I was unsuccessful. Alas, you see, Curly is a cactus.

Now I have little cactus thorns embedded in my fingers. They go well with the poison ivy I have on my thigh. Then some large spider or other scary bug bit me right on top of my poison ivy. I think I have a leech suck spot on my ankle that also got bitten by a mosquito. Mike and I both have mosquito bites all over from camping and from dredging the pond. We are a mess. :-) Just in time for the wedding!

Cats are on the office floor bathing.

One Month

We have exactly one month until the wedding. While most things are done, we still have quite a few things to do. Ahhh!

In other news, Mike sold his Porsche, and we bought a 2005 Nissan Xterra. After we recoup from the wedding expenses, we can actually get kayaks now!

Research with my new advisors in the SIS department is going much better. I feel like I am actually making a contribution. I will definitely have to ramp up the time spent on research after the wedding.

The animals are doing well. Ru is a lot less crazy than he used to be. Ra is currently sitting on my lap purring with his chin on my left hand. It looks like he is reading what I am typing. Scuro has been a little pukey lately, so we took her to the vet. She is on an antibiotic for a few days. I need to go get her some better flavored hairball medicine.

A few weekends ago, we went for a quick camping trip in the Smoky Mountains. You can go to our Flickr photo gallery to check out the pictures.


Mike has made friends with Mr. Ferguson who lives behind us. We have been trying to help him with the algae problem in the smaller pond. Here is a picture of him rowing in the pond and spraying the weeds. You can go to Flickr to see the rest of the pictures.

Sleepy Pam

The results of my sleep study came back. Evidentially, I have obstructive sleep apnea and limb movements which resulted in an average of 3.2 brief arousals per sleep hour. (Mike did his Beavis and Butthead impression when he read "arousals," but that was NOT what the sleep study was referring to.) According to the study, I am only 82.5% sleep efficient and awoke 34 times during a night's sleep. Also, they did not record any REM sleep, but they said that was probably due to medications I am taking. So that is at least some explanation to why I am so sleepy all the time. Now I just have to see what they can do to fix it.

Hair and Make Up

Makeup 021
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Here is a picture of Mike and I after I got my wedding hair and make-up consultation.

Double Tree Room 668

Well, I am sitting in bed at the Double Tree Hotel near South Park Hotel being observed for my sleep study. They are going to attempt to wake me up at 6 AM in the morning. Hehe. I splurged the $9.95 to buy Internet access for the night. I wonder if they will let me browse the Internet when I wake up at 4 AM. I wasn't supposed to nap today, but I think I accidentally napped for a little while after my personal training session. My upper body is going to be really sore tomorrow. I will miss Mike, Ra, and Scuro tonight. However, I brought Job and green blanket with me.

Been working on getting participants for a study we are running in my new department. Also been doing some wedding planning. Need to do some more. We are almost done with RSVPs. Right now, we have 124 adults and 20 kids.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Argh. I am either too sleepy or can't sleep. No happy medium. Oh well. My bridal shower is later today, and I am excited about that. Went to the YMCA yesterday for my first personal trainer appointment and to set up my FitLinxx account.

New Orleans Smells Like Pee

Mike had a NCTA trade show (broadcast industry - I warned him to stay clear of all the naked people) in New Orleans, so I went with him this weekend. He was starting to get in trouble for being away on business trips so often . . . I started a spreadsheet. Anyway, on Sunday, we went on a bus tour which went through some of historic New Orleans and ended in the 9th Ward showcasing some of the disaster left in the wake of Katrina. It was pretty crazy.

After the tour, we took a nap (always the highlight of my day), then we walked around the French Quarter. We found a Lush store and bought some fizzy balls, a discovery that I first made in Los Angeles and have only been able to buy off of Amazon ever since. We ate at a restaurant called Mr. B's Bistro which was awesome. While there, someone mistook me for "Diane from idol." I gave her a confused look and said who? I looked it up on the Internet, and the closest thing I could find is a girl named Diana DeGarmo who was on American Idol (born in 1987 - a baby!).

I stayed in the hotel on Monday, and after Mike got back from the trade show, we went to Luke's which is a not-so-good restaurant near the hotel. Especially compared to the restaurant we ate at the night before, it was more expensive and not as good. Yuck.

I woke up having weird nightmares, so here I am blogging at 3 in the morning.

Yesterday, May 19th, was Tausha's birthday. I usually call and leave her a message on her birthday, but I missed it this year. She is one of my best friends from junior high school in Mississippi.

Rain Barrels

CharMeck is selling rain barrels from $85-$100 which is a little cheaper than you can get them at the local home improvement stores. The drought conditions in Charlotte, NC seem to reoccur annually so I thought this was a good idea.

However, we bought rain barrels from another company called RainBarrel.Net because we thought their rain barrels were a lot prettier.


So this was just a short blog about how Pam and Mike are going a little greener.

My Sleepyhead

All is right in the world again. Mike got home this morning, and he is currently sound asleep in bed. And when I say sound, that means sound - kind of like a little kid pretending he sunk a battleship in the bath tub. Hehe, he is soo cute.

Email Thread I Came Across

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]

We dinn all the time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Painter

;) you are a dork, its kinda cute

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:44 PM
Subject: RE: Painter

Main Entry: 2din
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): dinned; din·ning
intransitive senses : to make a loud noise
transitive senses
1 : to assail with loud continued noise
2 : to impress by insistent repetition -- often used with into


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:38 PM
To: Pamela Karr
Subject: RE: Painter

No I was thinking more like the dinning room actually

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: Painter


How about the dining room?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:32 PM
To: Pamela Karr
Subject: RE: Painter



I emailed him about it…we will finish the dinning room tonight


GW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:02 PM
Subject: Painter


Can you get the painter name from Andrew?

Wisniewski-Berry Trip

We went to Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend to visit Mike's family. It was a great trip! Above are pictures of Mike and his grandparents. If you want to see all the pictures from the trip, click here!

100

We officially only have 100 more days until our wedding! We received our guestbook in the mail today, and it looks great! Yay! Things are moving along quite well.

I switched from BISOM to SIS, and I am so far very happy with the change. I feel like I will actually be able to get my PhD after all.

Mike's job is going pretty well, and the house is looking good. However, the yard still needs more work. Hopefully we will have grass again by August.

Recommended Contractors in Charlotte, NC

Keith Sellers - Painter (704) 451-4774. He and his team can edge better than any other painters I have ever worked with.

Stan Johnson - Electrician (704) 458-7751. He does work for the Charlotte-Douglas airport. His prices are very reasonable.

Jim Bridges - Plumber (704) 746-1645. He has done a great job on all the projects he has done for us.

Erica Anders - Pet Sitter (704) 340-6603. She takes care of Ru, Ra, and Scuro when we are out of town. Very professional.

BTR Roofing - Roof Repair (704) 537-7837.

David Medlin - Land Survey (704) 454-5541.

Vachik - Charlotte Concrete Resurfacing (704) 975-0466.

Jeff Moss - Countrywide Refinancing (704) 724-2875.

Greg with Molly Maid - Housekeeping (704) 536-6243.


These are contractors that we have experiences problems with. Therefore, you may want to hire them with caution.

Ronnie Hedgeco
Clayton Landscaping
PetSmart Pet Grooming
Time Warner Cable
Sprint
Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens special events
Mama Ricotta's Catering
Favors Frenzy

Smile

Some things that make me smile:

-Hearing from a friend after losing touch for some time
-Ra snoring
-Scuro bringing us fluff heads
-Ru's wiggle but
-Being silly with Mike
-Talking to my nieces and nephew on the phone
-Seeing new pictures of baby Max

Yay!!

Mike is coming home from Las Vegas tonight! He will find that the landscaping people have made a mess of the yard, but hopefully they will be making more progress in the next few days.

Here is a picture of my nephew Max - just because he is soo cute.


Mike and I want to have two kids starting in about 2-3 years. Ru, Ra, and Scuro are keeping us busy enough in the meantime!

Updated Kitchen

House 005
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Here is a picture of our newly updated kitchen. Mike did it all himself! We still have to put in the tile backsplash, but I think it looks awesome! I need to find a before picture to show the difference . . .

Charlotte 052
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Okay, here is the before picture of the kitchen. See the difference?!

Wedding Stuff

You can read all about this on our wedding blog, but here are our highlights . . .

Engagement Portraits - We had our portraits made yesterday, and they came out really well. Yay!



Gift Registries - We are registered at Amazon.com, Target, and Lowes

Guest Information - Everything our guests need to know about our attending wedding

Guest List - So far, we have 84 friends and family attending our wedding. We are still waiting for all the RSVPs to come in!

Another Pam List

Things that are not so good:
PhD program
Pam's health
Pam's weight
Mike's health insurance program

Things that are okay:
Liquid finances
Relationship between cats and dog
Mike's health
Pearl's tires

Things that are good:
Home improvements
Wedding planning
Mike's Job
General finances
Mike's weight
Pets' health
Porsche in Boots

Things that are great:
Mike and Pam
My nephew Max
God

Reasons

Reasons to be thankful.

Mike. He is absolutely and completely wonderful. He loves and supports me in everything I do. I came home upset the other day, and he canceled his meetings at work to take care of me. He is sweet and intelligent and is always there for me.

Max. My new little nephew. He is completely adorable, and he makes me excited about the kids Mike and I will have in a few years.

My mom. I probably talk to her on the phone at least once a week. Although we have a rocky past, I completely just love her and want her to be happy. I love talking to her and sharing my life with her. I have learned to appreciate the good things that make her her. She is funny and a warm person. She works really hard, and she loves her daughters very much.

The animals. I am never alone. I just turned around, and sure enough Scuro is laying on the ottoman behind me. Sometimes it is Ra snoring on the floor or the wiggle-Ru waiting at the foot of the stairs to greet me. They are all beautiful and have adjusted pretty well to living together.

God. Mike and I pray together at night, and we just have to thank God for all the blessings he has given us. I don't think we could have ever found one another without Him. I look back at some of the obstacles in my life, and I realize that God was letting me go through them to shape me into the person I am now. He has always brought people into my life at the right times to keep me going.

Friends. I am not the most social person, but I have soo many friends. They might not even be people I talk to for years, but I know there are people I could call right now who would be there for me if I needed them. It is the fact that people care. There is a connection. No matter how busy everyone gets, there is acknowledgment of existence and mutual love.

Alternatives. Even though I have struggles right now, I am not painted into the corner. The world is a blank canvas, and I just have to decide what I want to do with it. So many people don't have options because something limits them in some way or another. It is good to know you have multiple positive choices even when you don't know which one is the right one to choose.

Qualifying Exam Update

I passed 2 out of 3 parts of my qualifying exams. I need to retake the closed book portion of the qualifying exam. I expected that since I didn't take 3 out of 4 of the classes that were being tested on for that section. Originally, the department waived those classes because they thought I had taken similar courses during my masters program. However, without actually knowing the content that was covered in my courses or me knowing the content covered in the UNCC courses, it was impossible to really make that call. It turns out that much of the material had no overlap, and I was trying to learn material that I had never seen before. So I am happy with the results. I guess I won't be ditching the PhD program just yet.

Pam Ra Ru

Here is the picture I sent Mike in San Diego to show him what he is missing here at home. The picture quality is pretty bad because I took it with my phone in a really low light.

He's Here! He's Here!

My new little nephew Royce Maxwell Pauley was born yesterday! Yay!! Kim and Tony are doing well and should be able to bring him home tomorrow. Love you guys!

In my world: I took the first section of my qualifying exams today. Ugh. I did okay on parts and not okay on some other parts. As long as they average over 70%, I get to pass. If not, I have to try again (or decide not to get my PhD afterall) next semester.

My hand is killing me! I don't think I ever learned how to hold a pencil right. Man, I am not used to actually writing anything anymore in pencil. I think my carpel tunnel is acting up. I have to figure out if I am supposed to use heat or ice on it.

Mr. Karr

Hehehe! Mike and I have pretty much combined all of our accounts in some fashion or another. Well, he keeps getting called Mr. Karr by people who call the house because a lot of the bills are in my name. I think it is neat that he gets a taste of this perspective so he can understand how women feel when they get married and change their names. I have been feeling a little insecure because I quit my job, and he is basically the "bread winner" in the family right now. I don't think he gets how it makes me feel, but then I just remind him about "Mr. Karr." (Love you honey!)

On the sister front, Kim is about to pop. Max will be here any day now - definitely by Monday. See gratuitous belly shot lifted from Kim's blog below:



I have qualifying exams next week. Need prayers, say lots of prayers.

And check out our wedding blog when you get the chance. We should have hotel information posted soon. Most people should have gotten their invitations by now. It was like pulling teeth to get Mike to round up all the addresses for his family. I guess that is one advantage of having a close-knit Chinese family. Everyone knows where everyone is at all times.

Growing up Poor, in the South

Here is a very picturesque scene of two young girls sharing one ballerina outfit and leaning on a Winnebago. Ah yes, growing up poor in the South. Such fond memories . . .

I was just scanning a few baby photos for a wedding slide show. I came across this one and couldn't resist posting it. :-) Love ya, Kim.

Honey Head!

Mike gets home at 7 AM in the morning. He has a urologist appt in the morning, and I have one at 10:30 AM. Boy, that is when you know you are getting old. I bought him some geraniums and crotons for the pots on the patio in the backyard as a surprise. However, it is 24 degrees out right now so they might be frozen by the morning. Oh well.

I am studying for qualifying exams. Say a prayer for me that I do well. I am pretty stressed out about this.

I am going to go to bed so I can wake up to see my honey in the morning.

If I had a million dollars . . .

1) Buy mom and Watson their own house
2) Pay off all our credit card debt
3) Help pay for Liz to get a bachelor's degree
4) Travel all over the world (with Mike of course)
5) Save money for sending our two (future) kids to college
6) Donate to some meaningful charity
7) I don't know

Mike making pretty

Mike making pretty
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Before leaving from San Francisco for business, Mike was working on refacing the kitchen cabinets. The new doors and veneer looks great. He added under cabinet lights as well. He is almost done and will probably finish up next weekend.

Someone is supposed to come by and dig up the hollies today.

Snuffalufagus

I am sick again. Ugh. I am all stuffy. I am not sure how I caught this cold since I just got over one a few weeks ago. Poor Mike. It is his birthday/our anniversary (of meeting), and I am all snotty-nosed.

Happy birthday Mike!

You are the most wonderful person in the world!

You are smart, caring, loving, cuddly, handy, silly, funny, handsome, and altogether perfect for me! You make me feel happy, safe, and secure. Thank you for loving me! I am excited about all the years to come!

(Let's see if he reads this.)

Busy!

Between nurturing my health, taking care of the house, studying for qualifying exams, working, and planning the wedding, I haven't really had time to update my blog lately. Although we are busy, things are great. Life is good. I just wanted to tell all my friends and family that I love them!

January 2008

Wow, I can't believe it is 2008 already. 2007 went by really quickly, and here we are. So here are some big headlines for 2008:

• Mike turned 30
• Pam & Mike got engaged
• Kim is pregnant
• Kim is getting her first book published
• Mike resigned from IBM after 8 years
• Pam resigned from Lash Group after 2 1/5 years
  
• We got Uluru (Ru)
• Joel got married
• Auntie Dot passed away
• Mike sold his house
• Chris and Amber got engaged
• Pam and Pearl had their first wreck (fender bender)
• Pam & Ann took a cruise through the Caribbean
• Mom and Watson moved into Jay's townhouse
• Rachael started high school

I think that covers the major life events in 2007.

Pam & Mike at Biodome

Pam & Mike at Biodome
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Hehe, I have been playing with Photoshop. :-)

Blogging

I think one reason people blog is because they feel alone and want to feel like someone out there is listening to them. I guess I haven't been very lonely lately. Mike and I are really enjoying our lives together. He is very supportive of me and all of my idiosyncrasies. Thank God. We have been really busy the last few months.

Brief Summary . . .

September - got engaged!
October - visited Kim and Tony, my birthday, getting his house ready for sale
November - Thanksgiving (Mike in Europe), accepting an offer on his house, Mike moving in
December - Pam presents at a conference, house closing, Christmas, Mike changes jobs
January - Mike starts new job, Pam studies for qualifying exams

And to Come . . .

February - 1 year anniversary (Mike's birthday), Visit Florida & San Francisco
March - Qualifying exams, Kim's baby is due
April, May, June, July - A possible break??
August - Wedding, Honeymoon, and all that jazz!

Whew!

House to Home

Our house is looking really awesome lately! Here are some pictures.

Pam at Biodome

Pam at Biodome
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

I had a conference that I spoke at in Montreal Canada. The presentation went pretty well. Mike went with me, and we visited the Biodome while we were there. It was freezing!!

Prayer for Me

Please God, let my research model be good, my presentation go well, and most of all, please help me get it done. Amen.

Casablanca

Mom, Kim, and I went to a few bridal stores over Thanksgiving break, and I tried on a few dresses. So, this is the dress I am thinking about getting. However, I really should watch the movie before ordering from the dress collection. :-) And obviously, I won't look as good as the model in the dress.




Casablanca Style 1831

I won't post it on the wedding blog until we have decided for sure.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you.

Agape,
Pam

Annoyed

I am in an annoyed mood today. Here is a list of some things I am annoyed with:

People who don't actually read emailed questions therefore subsequently don't provide any useful information back or answer your question as if you were an idiot. Pet hair everywhere. Whining dogs. Political hierarchies within organizations. Never ending household chores. Inability to call Mike when he is traveling internationally. Nail scratches in my new hardwood floor. Never having enough time. Being called an intern again. The messy garage. People who offer you unreasonably low prices for stuff posted on Craigslist. Holes in the backyard. My area rug keeps bunching up under my desk. I get acne worse than when I was a teenager. My skin dries out in the winter time. Clutter. Inability to focus on high priorities or things I enjoy. People who only complain and are never appreciative.

I know in the scheme of things, these are minor annoyances. I think I am just in a bad mood this morning. Hopefully things will get better as the day progresses.

Saint Michael

Mike left for Europe for his Thanksgiving vacation with his sister. I miss him already. He gave me his St. Michael necklace that he has had since he was a little kid to wear to remember him and protect me while he is gone. He promised he would come home to me safely. I love my honey. He officially moved in last weekend. We have a contract on his house already, so everything is moving right along. We have a few more things that need to be sold before we can get the cars into the garage, but the house is looking good. Hopefully everything will calm down so I can study for my qualifying exams over Christmas break. Not the most exciting way to spend the holidays, but it is necessary.

Prayers

Dear God,

Thank you for all you have given me. You have been more faithful than I could have ever imagined. Mike went to sleep tonight feeling unwell, so please take care of him so that he feels better in the morning. He should be getting an offer on his house tomorrow, so I ask that you make it a good arrangement for both parties involved. Please help him make the right decisions because it is an important decision in our lives. I also ask that you alleviate the stress my mom feels at work. She deserves to enjoy work since she works so hard. Please look after her and Watson's health. Also, please help Michele with the difficulties she has been having at work. Please let Ra's nose heal quickly. I think he burnt it on Marvin, the space heater. Teach Ra, Scuro, and Ru how to get along and live together happily. Make sure Kim has a healthy pregnancy. There are so many people in my thoughts that I don't have enough time to pray for them individually. However, you know their deepest needs better than I do. Please just continue to look after us all.

Through Jesus, I pray, Amen.

My Family

Here is a picture of the first and probably the last time I got Mike and all the animals in the same shot.

My Zoo

Ru woke up early this morning and started to cry. It was okay though because he was just trying to tell me that he had to go to the bathroom. It was raining all day yesterday so he didn't get to go out enough last night. It is still raining today. Hopefully this will help with the whole drought conditions. Scuro decided to venture out back when I put Ru out. It wasn't such a great idea on her part. First, she got all wet. Second, that is Ru's territory so he was running circles all around her trying to play. It was funny because she just ran back into the house on her own accord. Maybe I will let her go outside some time supervised without the dog. She seems to be so curious about it.

Mike comes home today from Switzerland. Yay! I called him in his hotel room last night, and it was 1:30 AM for him. He wasn't mad that I called though. He knows that I just miss him when he is gone.

I need to go to the grocery store today. I don't like driving when it is rainy, but I guess I will just suck it up.

God has been so great to me lately. He has answered all my prayers and really blessed me with so much. Thank you, God!

Take This Job . . .

This was my last day at my job. I am excited about having more time, but it was weird to turn in my laptop and walk out the door after over two years. I will miss it in some ways, but I really do need the time to focus on my research.

Mike is in Switzerland with no pants. Don't ask. Ru did good while I was at work today. No sign of pee on the kitchen floor.

So sleepy.

Sick

I think I am sick. I have had a sore throat for the past two days, and I haven't been feeling well today. Maybe it is just the weird weather. We spent most of the day yesterday cleaning out Mike's house. We have packed up most of his personal stuff that he isn't going to leave in the house for show. We still need to do cleaning. He left for Switzerland today, and we will miss him.

Tomorrow is my official last day at work. I am going in to turn in my laptop and have my end of the year performance review (kind of pointless, but hey). I am really looking forward to having more time to focus on research, our wedding, and just getting myself healthy. I have been tracking what I eat on MyPyramid.gov for the last week or so. I don't think I have lost any weight yet, but I have been eating a lot healthier. It helps that we have moved back to my house, and we can eat at home most nights. Mike does the majority of the cooking, but I help out. I do a lot of the shopping.

I miss my ring

We brought my ring back to Jared's to get resized. We got a 4.5 and are getting it redone at 4.25. Luckily Mike paid for the service plan for unlimited resizing because since it is a tension set ring, they have to remake the whole thing to resize it. But it feels weird now to not have my ring on. I thought it would take longer to get used to wearing it. Mike notices when he holds my hand that it isn't there too. It is kind of funny.

On another note, I gave notice to my job, and my last day will be October 23rd. Hopefully then I won't be so busy all the time.

Wedding Stress

Ugh. We got a quote from one caterer - $17,000!! That only included food, table settings, chairs, and alcohol. Yikes! We will have to figure something else out. That is just ridiculous.

On a more positive note, Mike is moving in this weekend. He is leaving most of his furniture in his house for show until it sells. Hopefully we can reduce some stress by not having to travel back and forth between houses all the time now. I think Chris found another place to stay so he is going to move out on Saturday. He was a really good roommate and hopefully we can still keep in touch. With Ru in the house, I think Ra is wishing that I took Chris up on his offer to take Ra with him.

Anyway, I think I might take a quick nap. Pam is sleepy.

Efficiency

Ah ha, I don't have to post a recount of our activities in Chicago. Kim has already done it for me!

Field Museum

Lake Bluff

Apple Festival

Done!

Along Came a Spider

I got a spider bite, and it is about 3 inches in diameter now. Hopefully it doesn't spread any further.

Just got back from Chicago, and Mike had to fly to Utah early this morning. Tomorrow he is in Los Angeles then back home. Friday I think he has to be in Philadelphia. Saturday is the neighborhood yard sale, and Sunday he is moving all his personal stuff over to officially move in to my house and put his house on the market.

I am home with the cats and dog. Feeling a little blah. There is no food in the house, so I am debating if I should get dressed and go shopping or if I should just find a drive through somewhere. I really need to be on a diet. For the wedding - and just for the fact that it would be nice to fit into all my pants again.

28

Today is my 28th birthday. Mike and I flew to Chicago to see Kim and Tony. Tony made one of my favorite meals - standing rib roast. It was a good birthday. :-)

Popcorn for Dinner

This week has been pretty eventful. Painters came over and finished most of the repairs/freshening up that Mike wanted to do to his house before putting it on the market. All he has left is to fix some of the veneer on the kitchen cabinets and PACK. He hates packing. He would rather hide in his little room sanding, spackling, painting, hardwood flooring, anything but packing!

We dropped off a whole bunch of broken electronics to some guy in South Charlotte today. He gave us a free hour massage in return. I went ahead and bought another one that way Mike and I can go some time in the future together.

We have also been posting a ton of stuff on Craigslist to try to sell. At first, I was posting everything individually, but then I just created a Flickr gallery. I am sure someone will find something they gave me and get all offended, but if you know me, you know that I hate clutter. We are consolidating two houses in to one so some things just have to go! Plus, we are trying to raise money for our wedding. Geez, weddings are expensive.

His mom is going to throw the rehearsal dinner, and his dad sent us $4,000 toward the reception. That will help a lot. I am sure mom would help if she could, but she is just too poor. Mike's sister is already planning his bachelor party. I was kind of hoping that my family would be able to be more involved, but Lisa won't travel away from her kids, and Kim is pregnant with her first kid. So they are both too busy. I guess I just think weddings are more about family than anything else. I mean, Mike and I are in love and God already knows our commitment to one another. The wedding is just about sharing that with everyone else. It meant a lot to me that Mike's mom went with me to the bridal show. His family is so supportive of him. I worry that Michele (Mike's sister) doesn't like me very much. I think it is just that she isn't a hugely warm, friendly type person (not saying she isn't nice). She is more the independent type. I feel like Mike's mom is warming up to me a lot more since she went with us to Savannah. I am happy about that.

I sent an e-mail to Bonnie to see if JR would be willing to marry us if they were able to make it to the wedding. He Baptized me, and Bonnie calls me her daughter. So I think it would be really special if he could. I also thought about Patrick and Mr. Folsom, but I don't know if they are officially ordained as ministers. I am not quite sure how that all works.

Anyway, I guess I had a lot to ramble about tonight. I should be getting to bed. I am used to having Mike next to me, so it is harder to sleep when he isn't there. (I am staying at my house tonight because the commute to work is like 5 minutes instead of 40 from his house.)

Oh yeah, we started our marriage prep class at my church yesterday. There are quite a few other couples in the class. I think I have read all the relationship books so I know a lot of the stuff they are talking about already, but I think it is really cool to go through the exercise as a couple. He is my best friend.

Anyway, sweet dreams.

Ru-dudu

Ru ate my new flip flops today. That made me sad. I went to my house and did some research this afternoon. Mike stayed home while painters came over to paint a few things around his house. Mike is in his bonus room laying hardwood floors. He thinks it is going to take a few more hours. He had to rent power tools from Lowes, so he doesn't want to have to rent them for an extra day. Things are coming along nicely, and he and Ru should officially be moved in by the end of October. His house is covered with drop cloths right now, but after the painters are done, the house should almost be ready to show.

I started a scrapbook for Mike and I. I was going to wait and give it to him as a wedding gift, but I was too excited about it and gave it to him as an engagement gift instead. He really liked it. We are busy lately, but we are happy. Knowing that all the work we are doing right now is to ensure things for our life together in the future keeps us going. His mom is taking me to a bridal expo tomorrow to start looking for vendors for the wedding. Very exciting!

For Sale

At a Glance

· Located in Birkdale Village

· 1 1/2 story Saussy Burbank Bungalow

· 3 bedroom/2 bath

· Detached 2 car garage

· Hardwood Floor throughout downstairs

· Honey Maple Cabinets

· Updated light fixtures

· Spacious attic storage

· Fenced in backyard

· Gas fireplace

· Recessed entertainment nook (up to 50 inch TV)

Neighborhood Amenities

· Large pool

· Tennis courts

· Planned activities

· Walking trails

· Ponds

· Steps away from shopping

This well-built (2002) Saussy Burbank 3/2, 1580 sq. ft., 1 1/2 story Bungalow is located in the popular Birkdale Village area, close to luxurious shopping plaza and movie theater. Spacious corner lot overlooks two small parks on two sides. Upstairs master bedroom suite with walk-in closet, reading nook, and small bonus room. Master bath complete with double sinks and garden tub. Designer paint color schemes throughout the house make it warm and inviting. Beautifully landscaped and lighted front and backyards. Numerous updates including crown molding, updated lighting, smooth top stove, in-cabinet microwave, hardwood floors, wired for surround sound, window treatments, and more.

Recently engaged couple looking to consolidate houses and sell quickly! We are willing to work with your realtor. For more pictures, go to
http://worksmartlivehard.com/

Currently For Sale by Owner. If you are interested in seeing this home, contact Mike with the contact information below. Thanks!

Cell: 704-728-2098

Home: 704-655-2514

E-mail: mw99nd@gmail.com

Key Words: For Sale by Owner, FSBO, Home for sale, Huntersville, NC, North Carolina, Charlotte, real estate, Birkdale Village, Cornelius

I Love My Fiance!

I almost said, "I love my boyfriend!" to Mike this afternoon, and I realized, wait a minute, he isn't my boyfriend anymore! Heehee. I love him sooo much, and we couldn't be any happier right now. I am staying at my house tonight, and he is working on his room at his house tonight. It feels weird to not be together tonight. I will be glad when we don't have to commute between houses anymore. Oh well, everything is good in the world.

It's Official!

Mike Proposes
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

We went to Savannah this weekend, and our moms were there to witness our engagement. Check my flickr album for more pictures (and even more coming soon). Just got back in town, so we are off to bed.

I am so happy!!

Perspective

Today was a very stressful day; I felt like I was letting everyone down. I get stress from my PhD program because I am not dedicated full-time to research. I get stress from work because we are understaffed with way too many demands on our team. I get stress from my friends and acquaintances when they think I should be doing something different/better. I feel like I never have time for myself lately. No pedicures, no time to exercise. Gaining weight because of added stress; tired all the time. The cats are hissing, and the dog is crying. More items pile in my inbox. More bills.

But then I have to take a deep breath, and I just take a look at Mike. He loves me so incredibly much, and I am so incredibly happy. Putting things in perspective, life is good. I am stressed. I am spread too thin. But I am lucky, and I am happy. I will not let all the demands I have on me ruin this - the best - time in my life.

Mike's titanium ring came in the other day, and he has been stressing that my ring would come in too late and ruin his plans (which I don't know but have some guesses). He is so adorable. But, my ring came in today. He is horrible at surprises because he is so excited himself, so he showed it to me. It is absolutely beautiful Yeah, but he won't let me actually touch it yet (too funny).

He was being really supportive today, and it really helped me out a lot. He is a lot tougher skinned than I am (since I am not tough skinned at all). I cry when I am sad, upset, angry, frustrated, anxious, eh I am a crier. I make him a crier sometimes, but he is generally pretty even-keeled. He is perfect for me. Life is so much better these days because I feel like I have found someone who is truly there for me. I don't feel like I am in this all alone.

Still have to remind myself to take deep breaths. My heart still pounds too fast sometimes, and I just want to hide under the covers. Life can be hard, but there are some things in life that just make everything worthwhile.

The house is quite. The Ru is actually sleeping instead of crying tonight. The cats have probably made their way into bed. Mike is asleep with the help of some earplugs. We are off to Savannah tomorrow. His mom is riding down with us so she can meet my mom. I miss my mom, and I am excited to get to see her tomorrow. I am also looking forward to introducing her to Mike.

Savannah

We are meeting mom and Watson in Savannah for the weekend next weekend. Mom was telling me to tell Watson over the phone about "our good news," and I said that it wasn't official yet . . . Watson said, "Well, dear, this young man isn't toying with your emotions now is he?" It was soo funny. Watson is a hoot.

We will probably meet them around 11:30 AM which means we will have to get up pretty early. Mike already knows that I will fall asleep on the way there. He got us hotels with his points so mom wouldn't complain that we were spending too much money.

I wasn't feeling that great today. We were supposed to pick up the hardwood for my floor today, but Home Depot didn't have it in stock. It worked out though because they are going to deliver it tomorrow. Mike will have to be here because I have to go in to work tomorrow. We had breakfast at Panera then went over to some older gentleman's house to look at some left over Brazilian Cherry hardwood he had. Mike is going to buy it to finish out this little room he has upstairs in his house. Then Mike dropped me off at my place because I left Pearl here. I napped then did some research.

Yesterday we went to Carowinds with Matt and Amy. Matt doesn't like riding roller coasters or spending money, so I don't know if he really had fun or not. We had fun. It was nice out, not too hot, and we got to ride on some nice rides.

I am trying to sell a whole bunch of stuff on Craigslist, some mine, some Mike's to make room in my house. I think we will be fine, but I hate clutter.

Mike is on his way over, and I am just goofing off for the rest of the night. Sweet dreams!

No Fair

Okay, Mike has already e-mailed all of his friends and announced our engagement. I was trying to wait until it was official, but it isn't fair that he is already telling everyone!! He bought my ring about 3 weeks ago, and it should be coming in any time now. He is still supposed to surprise me with a proposal, but we have already been making plans to get married on 08/08/08. I am completely excited and very happy that I found him. He is also fixing up his house to sell and will officially be moving in the beginning of November. Chris is moving out sometime in October, and he will probably move to Greensboro area to live closer to his girlfriend.

So, here is the site where we are planning our wedding:


You will hear more shortly, but I just had to spill the beans. Sigh. Patience was never a virtue of mine!

Frazzled

Well, I got a frazzled boyfriend back from Amsterdam. I guess Ra, Ru, Scuro, and I didn't help matters much last night because Mike didn't get as much sleep as he needed. He gets grump-py when he doesn't get enough sleep. Talking about sleep, Ra is under the papasan chair snoring away right now. I still haven't gotten a decent lunch in yet. I have a meeting at 5:30 PM, and then I am heading to Mike's for the night. I ate a whole pack of dried apricots so I am extremely rgular right now . . . Anyway.

Thank you, God

Life is so awesome. This is the best time in my life, and I am so thankful that God has given me all these things he has. I heard some really exciting news from Kim and Tony tonight, and I am so happy for them! Mike and I are doing really well. Life is good; God is good! My biggest challenge right now is not letting myself worry about how things could possibly go wrong.

Wow

I actually got some research done today. I always have to do more, but it feels good to have some behind me. I have to go to bed soon because I have orientation for work 2 tomorrow. I have to get all my paperwork and what-not ready. I have a stack of papers on my desk about 9 inches high that I have to go through and find it. Sigh. Maybe they will turn me away at the door for failing my drug test. Mike and I forgot, and he made a steak and spinach salad with raspberry vinegarette, poppyseed dressing the night before.

Dogs are a lot higher maintenance than cats. I feel guilty because Ru seems so bored. Three animals in one house seems like a lot even though there is more than enough room for all of us here. I think we all (Mike, Ru, Scuro, Ra, and me) will have to adjust to living under one roof, but hopefully it won't be that hard. I think it will be hardest on Scuro since she still hasn't really warmed up to Ru.

Mike doesn't get home until Wednesday night. I made him promise not to look at naked people while he is in Amsterdam. He called me tonight and will call again tomorrow. He sounds worn out and tired from all the travel. Personally, I couldn't do it.

Pump It Up

Amsterdam

Mike loves me. He used a calling card to call me from Amsterdam today. I could tell he was really sleepy, but he missed me and wanted to hear my voice. I love him so much. My life is so much better with him in it. I worry about him when he is traveling because I don't know what I would do if he didn't come home safely to me. I pray that God takes good care of him when he is gone and that he comes home to me safe and sound. Amen.

I took Ru to training at PetSmart this morning. I took a nap at Mike's place and did some shopping today. I didn't get much research done. Tomorrow will be a research day.

Here is my fall schedule:

Monday, Tuesday - work
Wednesday - work 2
Thursday - research
Friday - work, seminar

Here are some upcoming events:

9/15 - Carowinds
9/22 - Savannah so Mike can meet Mom and Watson
10/6 - Mike and I visit Kim and Tony in Chicago for my birthday
11/3 - Sheepdog trials
11/22 - Thanksgiving at Kim and Tony's

Whoa, Barry Manilow looks a lot like Rod Stewart.

Anyway, I am going to get busy goofing off tonight so I can be productive all day tomorrow.

Home Depot

Home Depot is coming over today to measure the house for hardwood floors and new carpet. I have been staying at Mike's house lately. He is getting his house ready for sale, and he and Ru are going to move in here in November. We would live in his house, but it is a little too small for all of us (Mike, Pam, Scuro, Ra, and Ru). And he will get more of a profit margin on selling his house than if I sold mine. Chris said he is going to move out by October 31st.

Mike checks my blog on occasion, and he says I must be happy because I didn't blog that day. It is true that I tend to blog less when I am happy. Things are going really well, and there should be some good news in a few weeks.

Mike actually washed Job yesterday. He hadn't been washed in years! Now he smells fresh and isn't covered with cat fur. He is a happy teddy bear now.

Joel

Congratulations to Joel - he is getting married! He always had to do things before me - I remember he took the GED test so he could say he graduated high school before me. I am happy for him though because he deserves to be happy.

Fresh Cornish Hen

Pam, up all night. Sigh. Mike is going to yell down the stairs in a few minutes to check if I am all right once he realizes I am not beside him in bed. I was fidgety getting to bed, and I woke up feeling acidy in my throat. The muscles in my legs are kinda tight because we did some pilates/exercises before bed. So the culmination of these factors woke me up. I should be able to get to bed now that my email has been checked, and I have blogged.

I have never been very good at the whole "grin and bear it" mentality in life. I am an idealist by nature, and I tend to want to fix things if they are broken. Right now, I feel like I am spinning my wheels a bit with school. Work is going well. Mike and I are awesome. I think we are both a bit stressed because combining two lives into one can be a challenge. Two houses, three pets, stuff like that. But that stress is a good stress because it is a sign of good things.

. . .

Back from surfing the Internet. Getting sleepy. Going back to bed.

Kitties

I miss my kitties. I feel badly because I haven't been spending much quality time with them. My Scuro and my Ra are the best kitties in the world! (I love Grace and Harley too though.)

I have been staying at Mike's house more often lately. He had his medical procedure today. His mom drove him to the hospital and back, and we both hung around for most of the day to make sure he was all right. Pretty much, he was just groggy and a little sore all day. The doctor said he has rings in his throat that cause him to gag on some foods. He said that the rings are caused because of allergies. So we have to see what exactly it is that he is allergic to. So between these rings in his esophagus and his diverticulitis his whole digestive system is pretty much out of whack. Poor guy.

I am happy but anxious today. Here are some of the things stressing me out:

1) Not spending enough time with my kitties
2) Not getting research done
3) Batteries not working in my camera
4) Mike being sick
5) Getting fatter
6) Being sleepy all the time
7) My foot is asleep
8) Problems getting reimbursed for the conference
9) Zits, weren't they supposed to disappear by now?
10) Mike's upcoming travel abroad

But there is a lot more to be thankful for. I must remember thanksgiving, prayer, and petition.

Ideal, Ideal Weekend

I think Mike and I will always remember this weekend. I think we have both surpassed the point where we have been in any other relationship, and it feels right to be where we are. I spent most of the weekend day dreaming instead of researching, but my priority right now is to enjoy being happy and in love. There will always be more work to do.

On another note, I taught Ru how to shake hands yesterday to surprise Mike when he got home from Oregon. It made him smile. Now Ru wants to shake hands all the time! He is a hand shaking machine!

I just ate a burrito, and Mike just had a bowl of ice cream. We are doing well on our diets. He goes in for his endoscopy in the morning, so those who pray, say a prayer for him that he will come out all right. I want them to find the problem so they can fix it, but I don't want something really bad to be wrong.

We bought a gourmet, one cup coffee maker and a pillow top thingy for my bed at Bed, Bath, and Beyond this weekend. I had 20% off coupons. Mike also made another very large purchase, but I can't officially talk about that yet . . .

What else happened this weekend? Mike sprayed my yard for weeds and bugs, of which I have a plethora. I watched Ru on Friday while Mike was away on business. He wanted to catch up on sleep Saturday, but I wouldn't let him. Hmmm. Mike started some projects around his house to start getting it fixed up. I successfully avoided doing research. The end.

Busy

There is too much to do and too little time. I straightened up Mike's house today, then I came home and straightened up my house some. Spent some time with Ru this morning and the kitties this afternoon. I logged into work and got a call about my other work (henceforth, they will be called work and work 2). I paid some bills, submitted some expense reports, scheduled some meetings, and all sorts of other stuff. I am about to head out the door to go back to Mike's place so Ru can go pee. Mike will get home from his business trip tomorrow afternoon. All this travel has really been wearing him out. He has surgery on Monday on top of it all.

It will be a lot easier on both of us when we only have one house to maintain. The pets will be stressed for a while, but they will eventually learn how to co-exist. They are already not doing that badly.

I am going to make bacon fried rice for dinner tonight. I would watch a movie, but for the life of me, I can't figure out Mike's television in his living room.

Conk

I think Ru might have given me a black eye. I bent down to pet him, and he got excited and jumped up. I put an ice pack on it so hopefully it didn't leave a mark. Chris and I cooked and ate dinner together tonight. I feel like I haven't seen him in ages. It was good to catch up. My Internet was down for a good part of the day today. Unfortunately that means I have to work tomorrow since I didn't put the hours in today.

Mike gets home tonight, but he has to fly to Oregon on Friday. I don't like him traveling so much but he makes time for me when he is in Charlotte so it is okay.

Effusive

Ooh, thanks to my daily horoscope, I just learned a new word that is very Pam:

Main Entry:

ef·fu·sive

Pronunciation:

\i-ˈfyü-siv, e-, -ziv\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1662

1: marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm <effusive praise>
2archaic : pouring freely
3: characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava <effusive rocks>

— ef·fu·sive·ly adverb

— ef·fu·sive·ness noun

Okay, maybe not definition number 3, but definitely definition number 1.

Queek Queek Queek

The Ru is awake and whining. I let him out to go to the bathroom while I fixed his gate. He didn't get out this time, but he did considerable damage by pushing it out on the bottom. I have a feeling we will need to get a new gate. Other than that, he was pretty good last night - unless I just slept through it from sheer exhaustion. I think the Tabasco sauce on the gate really helped. I will name the gate Chimichanga. Going back to bed.

Playing Mommy

I worked from home today and watched the kids. Ru and Ra are starting to warm up to each other some. Scuro is still holding a grudge. I had Empire Today come over and give me an estimate on hardwood floors throughout the living room, but I decided their price was too high. Bennett said he would be able to do it cheaper, and Mike said that he would be able to help. If Ru is staying over more often, then I want to get rid of the carpet downstairs. He hates being locked up in the kitchen at night. He tried eating through his gate last night. I basted the gate with Tabasco sauce this morning so maybe he will stop. Otherwise, I might need to get some metal gates.

Mike talked to mom on the phone for the first time last night. It was cute.

Chris just got home. He is playing with the animals. It is definitely more lively here the last few days. I just hope Ru won't push down his gate tonight and will let me get some sleep. Poor Mike had meetings all somewhere near Newark so he didn't get very much sleep last night. I at least got to sleep a bit longer than he did this morning.

Full House

Humans are out numbered by animals 2:3. Women are out numbered by men 3:2. Dogs are out numbered by cats 2:1. There are cats chasing dog, and dog chasing cats. It is crazy around here! Ra has decided his safe haven is under the coffee table. Ru has decided to follow either me or Mike around as much as possible. Scuro, well, she is just perturbed by this whole thing. However, she is starting to calm down some. She just joined me on the couch for some cuddling. Now my belly is getting mashed. We are one, big, happy family. :-)

Mike is asleep because he has to leave to catch a plane at 4 AM. We ordered in Chinese food for dinner tonight. We went to the new Tijuana Flats (yay!) for lunch which is right down the street from my house. Tomorrow is a work day and hopefully I can get some research done as well. This weekend was house cleaning, pet calming, and boyfriend napping.

Happy Saturday

I woke up smiling this morning. It is going to be a busy day. We are going to take Ru to training then he is going to get groomed so he can make a good impression for his first meeting with Ra and Scuro! Mike and I made stuffed pork chops last night, and they were soo good. We have been eating really well . . . steak, lamb chops, stuffed pork chops, quail, veal something-or-another, chicken marsala, you name it. Unfortunately, now we need to go on diets. I am going to have a smoothie for breakfast.

Matt and Amy

I invited Matt and Amy over to Mike's for dinner. Mike is cooking steaks, potatoes, corn on the cob, and creme brule. Yummy. Worked from home today. My tummy was hurting this afternoon. Now I have a kink in my neck. Ru got in trouble today for chewing on the furniture. Can't wait until he comes to my house . . .

Things to Help Mike

Here is a list of things I can do to help Mike so he doesn't have to feel like he has to do everything himself. Besides, I like to feel useful.

1) Make a list of things I can help do for Mike
2) Help cook/do dishes
3) Watch Ru when he is out of town
4) Help him fold/put away laundry
5) Help him organize his office
6) Help him fix up his upstairs closet
7) Take out the trash (his trash is always overflowing)
8) Start exercising together
9) Encourage one another to eat healthier
10) Buy him new, brown t-shirts that don't have holes in the armpit

Sunday Colorado River

We went tubing down the Colorado River today which was pretty fun. We were starving when we got back so we chowed down on Pizza Hut pizza. I am ready to go home! Our flight leaves at 1:45 PM, and I get home at 9:45 PM. Will probably sleep in the car and on the plane.

I don't like that Colorado hotels don't have air conditioning. It is hot in here, and there is a dog barking outside. We need a fan.

Saturday Rocky Mountains

I got up too early this morning so I will be exhausted tonight. I go back to work on Tuesday so I won't get much of a break after travel. Hopefully I will get some sleep on the plane. Matt has an interview in an hour which is when we will head out to the conference.

Not too much to report. Feeling like I should get home and start being productive.

Friday Colorado

The conference went fairly well today. I got through my presentation and my interview. Mike sent me some flowers which was very sweet. I am finally out of my dress and high heels. Yay! I am ready to get home, but we aren't flying back until Monday.

This conference is really giving me a sense of urgency on getting more research done. Publish or perish!!

Colorado Thursday

I sat out by a beautiful mountain lake this morning. On the way back to the hotel room, I passed Matt and Amy in the hot tub. I am about to hop in the shower. Matt and I are going to a session this afternoon. I have an interview at 5 PM. Then we are meeting with our advisor and going to a welcome reception tonight until 8 PM.

Free Wi-Fi

Yay!! Our room has free wi-fi. Awesomeness. I miss my boyfriend and kitties already. We flew into Colorado Springs and Matt drove the rental car to Keystone. I napped most of the way. I practiced my presentation once, and it is running about 25 minutes which is pretty good. I need to do some more practicing before my presentation on Sunday. Matt's presentation is on Friday.

I didn't get much sleep last night as I stayed up pretty late packing. I got up around 6 AM, and they picked me up at 7 AM. It is 6:40 PM Charlotte time but two hours earlier here. Might nap for a minute before dinner with our advisor.

Focus

Okay, my ADD is kicking in today, and I need to focus on two and only two things today: work and packing. Pack, work. Okay. But before that, I think I am going to make some lunch. Then pack, work.

The Perfect Guy

He . . .

lets me sleep in his armpit
comforts me when I have a nightmare
gets my dorky sense of humor
worries about me when he sees me cry
takes me camping
joins me when I silly dance
talks in his sleep
isn't a partier
knows more elements on the periodic table than I do
can cook
lets me wear his t-shirts
likes to tickle me
believes in God
loves animals
loves his family
follows me when I run to the other room
proof reads my papers
gives me lots of forehead kisses
doesn't get embarrassed when I act silly in public
reads to me in bed
gives me the prettier piece of meat at dinner
has messy handwriting
lets me organize things
helps fix things around the house
humors my random questions
knows the names of my inanimate objects
can interpret my "stuffs" and "things"
protects me
tells me I am beautiful
loves my cats
wakes me up when I start grinding my teeth
carries my packages when we shop
lists the reasons why he loves me when I ask
is faithful
understands me for who I am
knows what I need
lets me take care of him sometimes
drags me out of bed for work in the morning
answers the phone when I call
leaves me little messages
gives me the key to his house
lets me plan things together for the future
doesn't get mad at me easily
laughs at how impatient I am
thinks about me when I am not around
wants a family
makes time for me
helps calm me down
is down to earth
cries sometimes because he cares so much
thinks I am a good person
is supportive of my career
responsible
smiles when he sees me
misses me when we are apart
can be a smart a**
always tells me the truth
knows how to compromise
apologizes when he is a jerk
accepts that I am emotional
can challenge me intellectually
takes me to see waterfalls
trusts me
knows my ring size
can teach me new things
thinks I am smart
is someone I can tell anything to
knows who he is
is consistent in his actions
is my best friend
loves me

Pictures

John Mayer concert

Ru

Mike in his office

The Scuro (tomorrow is her birthday)

Big Yawn

Mike left for Colorado Springs today. The funny thing is that I leave for Colorado Springs on Wednesday so we will be passing each other in the air. Oh well. I was busy this weekend putting together my applicant portfolio for Fall 2008. I didn't expect to be in the recruiting pool so soon, but we will see what happens! Mike is willing to move as long as there is a major airport near by. I would be just as happy if I found a good opportunity in Charlotte. Charlotte is a nice city.

Ugh, I have to get some more work done for work, but I feel distracted due to the upcoming conference. Bleh. I also need to pack for the conference. Time to make another list.

To Do:
1) Finish outbound distribution for work
2) Pack for Colorado
3) Practice presentation
4) Print boarding pass - DONE

I am sure there is more, but those are the biggies for right now.

Exxcellent

Look, I Simpsonized Me!!

I also took a stab at Mike . . .

Grumpy

Now, when I should be sleeping, I am wide awake. On my agenda for tomorrow (actually, later today): write a statement of purpose that includes my teaching philosophy and research interests. I also need to get some quotes from my student evaluations to include in my teaching portfolio. Busy, busy. And I need to practice my presentation for the conference next week.

Things to include in my portfolio:
-Statement of Purpose, DONE
-CV, DONE
-Student Feedback, DONE
-Teaching Evaluation Scores, DONE
-Teaching Peer Evaluation, DONE
-Class Syllabus?, DONE
-Letters of Recommendation, DONE
-Abstracts of Working Papers, DONE
-Transcripts, DONE

What else? I don't know. I have to have all this bound professionally as well. Yikes. I guess I didn't realize that it was already time for recruitment to begin until I started getting emails from various universities. Then I thought about it, and I am pretty much on the market for Fall 2008. Unlike industry, faculty positions are recruited in a lumpy way. They really only recruit to start during the fall of each year. Getting my butt in gear. :-)~

Sleepy and Doc

We have been relatively productive today. I took Mike on one of my little destressing shopping sprees. Basically, I go shopping for the purpose of finding products that help make my life more manageable. So first we went to Target. I got some zit medicine and face cloths for this huge zit I have on my chin. I bought some vitamins to make me healthier and sleep better. And a light bulb for my refrigerator. Mike got laundry baskets, a toothbrush holder, bathroom trash can, throw blankets, and some other random stuff. Then we went to PetSmart. I bought a litter mat for the cats and some pheromone calming spray for when the cats meet Ru. I encouraged Mike to sign up for obedience training for Ru. He also got some other stuff to try to calm the wild Ru. After that, we ate a relatively healthy lunch at Panera.

We came back to my house and ended up napping because I love day-time naps. I also woke him up at 5 AM this morning and convinced him we should get up and go to Waffle House. After we ate breakfast, we went back to sleep for a few hours. So now I am awake and have been PhDing.

My presentation for AMCIS is done except for needing to cut out a few slides and practicing. The next things on my list to do include:

-Create Statement of Purpose, DONE
-Make resume into vita, DONE
-Create interview portfolios, DONE
-Create cover letter, DEFERRED
-Pack for Colorado, TO DO

Mike put up my new chandelier in the breakfast nook while I was working on my presentation. He went to the grocery store and is now cooking dinner while I blog. The cats are roaming around the house looking kind of bored. It is a lazy but busy day just living life.

Happy

Mike had to drag me out of bed this morning so I could drive home to get ready for work. I am not a morning person! I am ready with a few minutes to spare so here I am blogging. We went shopping for something special last night (not saying much right now), and things are going really well. I love my boyfriend. We already say the same thing at the same time the other person is about to say it. I think he is probably the first guy to really pay attention to who I am and what I need - and love me for who I am. I know I can be difficult, but for the right guy, I am worth it.

Mike is so sweet that he has a hard time punishing Ru so the silly dog runs wild sometimes. He is also really smart and can take care of himself. He has a nice house (a little messy sometimes), and he usually does the cooking since he is a better cook than I am. He is handsome even though he gets insecure about his receded (because it did but isn't now) hairline. He has big, brown eyes that are so cute when he gives me crap or when he has no idea what to say or do to comfort me if I am crying. We get along really well by just being ourselves which is the most important thing. Sometimes he isn't wordy enough for me, and sometimes I am too impatient for him, but in general, we are pretty perfect together.

Sorry for gushing. I am in love and happy. Say a prayer for us. Neither one of us want to get hurt again so we are trying our best to take care of each other. Not everything is easy, but I think God will help make this possible.

Well, it is time for me to get in Pearl and drive down the street. Needing more sleep, but I think I will nap this evening. Happy Friday.

Skype

I now have Skype on my phone and computer: pamela.j.karr

It really only makes sense to use on my phone if I am calling internationally which I don't do. Mike did get a Skype phone though so he can call me when his is in Germany, France, Taiwan, and wherever else IBM sends him. He travels a lot but he works from home the rest of the time so it isn't too bad.

Okay, I am going to eat hotdogs now.