I turned 26 on Friday, September 7th.
I celebrated with a quiet night in with Brian, watching the Heroes DVD he bought me.
But on Saturday I cut loose. Becca and I did a girls night. We started with a tour of the miller brewery. It was pretty cheesy at times, but there were free beer samples at the end. that was good. Then we headed over to the Edelwiess for a margarita cruise - an hour and a half on a boat on the river and lake with all you can drink margaritas and all you can eat taco bar. We had a blast, but several margaritas and tacos later we were done. Afterwards we went to becca's place and watched episodes of the office, played mariokart, and watched SNL. We drank plenty of water and had some advil, and today I'm no worse for wear. To say we had fun would be a huge understatement.

Today Brian's friends are coming over for our bi-weekly dungeons and dragons game. that's always a blast as well. I've had a great birthday weekend and I'm feeling good. Yay me!

I've been watching a lot of my old favorite songs on YouTube. Apparently EVERYTHING, if it was ever recorded, is now on YouTube. Did you know the Anniversary recorded a music video for "All things ordinary"? They did, and it's online. Did you know you can watch both music videos recorded by Antifreeze, Appleton's own Pop Punk band now defunct? You sure can! Did you know that Capercaeilie recorded a video for "Cosich a Ruin", and it was apparently done in the 80's? Indeed! Do you get turned on watching Reginne wail away on the accordion during the Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go"? There are several recorded live performances of her doing so! I have a boner right now!!

Ahem. Excuse me.

Other than that I have been extraordinarily busy with work. It's not been fun.
My pontiac sunfire died little by little, until the engine cracked, then it was broke a lot. I am now the owner of a 2003 Toyota Echo.

Our house is infested by pretty insects. When we first got them I felt horribly guilty, because I didn't know what they were and a little voice in my head told me it was because I don't keep the house clean enough. I was feeling guilty for several days but finally sense prevailed and I took action. Of course my house is clean, I've never had an insect problem, and these didn't seem like house insects. They're bigger than cockroaches, almost an inch to two inches long, and they are black with two bold red stripes. They move slow and are easy to kill. I did some research and found:

They are Box Elder Bugs, an insect that feeds on maple trees and leaves and only come to houses in fall to hibernate. So that explained my mystery. I don't have bugs because I am unclean, I have bugs because I have a tasty tree in the backyard and an 87 year old house with lots of warm cracks. We only see about one a day, but the walls and such are probably teeming with sleepy bugs. Further research shows they can only be killed with several applications of strong chemicals. Brian and I are going to forgo calling the exterminator, they're not really bothering us and the chemicals would be deadly to sensitive Zabe. I suppose I should be really upset, but oddly I'm not. It seems I prefer giant bugs that can't be exterminated to tiny creatures that have come because I'm filthy... BECAUSE, I suppose, the giant bugs aren't my fault.

11 AM, July 21st:

Finished Harry Potter and the deathly hallows.

All those who wish to discuss, call me.

I wanted to post my version of my wedding, mostly so that one day I'll have something to look back at and remember.

It was the morning of the wedding, Friday May 4th. Brian and I had a lot to do - buy last minute groceries and soda, clean both of our cars, last minute house clean up, exercise zabe (so he'd be calmer) and give him a bath. Brian needed to pick up his pants from the dry cleaner, he needed to shave his head again, I had a hair and make up appointment and I still hadn't showered. We managed to make headway in our ToDo list.

I took Zabe to the dog park and ran him ragged for 45 minutes. I was going to take him to the pet store for a bath, but I had this nagging voice in my head telling me to get the car washed or people would think I'm a slob, I'm dirty. I pulled into the car wash right next to the pet store, and I was told I had to go in to pay. I had Zabe with me in the car. I made a stupid decision, and Zabe took off. In a split second, he was gone. (Zabe is extraordinarily fast, we think he's part whippet or visla)

My wedding day was ruined. I ran around calling for Zabe, till I was hot and winded. I ran back to my car and drove around the neighborhood, but I didn't see him. I made the phone call, shaking... I told Brian I had lost Zabe (his worst nightmare) and that I would understand if he didn't want to get married today. Or ever. "I'll be right there. We're getting married." he replied. We searched Grafton for two hours, but there was no sign of him. I went back to the house, still crying my eyes out, to shower and get ready for my hair and makeup appointment. Becca came up early for support.

I didn't imagine that my wedding day would be full of pain, guilt, dread, and sadness, but it was. I always imagined my wedding day being about me and brian and our love for each other, that I would look beautiful and I would be so happy. Instead I would have given up anything, everything, short of my family and brian, just to have Zabe back.

The makeup girl did the best she could, but I had arrived late for the appointment and was short on time. My eyes were puffy and my nose raw from the constant crying I had done. In the pictures taken afterward I really don't look my best. We went back to the house, got dressed up, and went to the courthouse.

Suddenly I was facing Brian, about to promise to spend the rest of my life with him, and I realized i was still so sad about my dog. But I looked in to his eyes, and I remembered he was hurting and worried, too. I realized again that I did want to marry this man, who supported me and stayed calm even through a tragedy, who loved our dog as much as I did and who would love me no matter what happened. And we said our vows.

Zabe came home four days later. I called every vet, humane society, police and sherrif station in South Eastern Wisconsin, and put up fliers in every place that would allow me in three cities. On Monday, May 7th, it paid off. A couple had seen a dog in a field across from thier house on saturday morning, but had not been able to catch him. They contacted the police who apparently did not follow up on it. They saw my flier monday evening when they were picking up pizza and called me right away to tell me what they saw. They offered to meet us at the field to show us where'd they'd seen him. He had still been wearing his leash.

Becca and Adam were visiting at the time so the four of us piled into cars, stocked with treats and flashlights. The couple pointed out a location several hundred feet away, and we started walking into the fields. As we approached, I tentatively called his name, hoping to draw him out. I got a couple of feet further and suddenly I was hit from the side - Zabe was on top of me, apparently as overjoyed to see us as we were to see him.

Zabe was too skinny (he's naturally slim, he didn't have any weight he could afford to lose), he was thirsty, tired, and dirty... but he was unhurt, and he was HOME.

My wedding ordeal was over. I love my dog, I'm so glad I have him, I tell him every day I love him. More importantly, I love my husband, I'm so glad I have him, and I tell him every day, too.

There comes a time in everyone's life when you must ask yourself:

Are you for robot world domination, or against it?

My poor puppy. Last night after walking Zabe I noticed he had a tick. The correct way to remove a tick is grip it as close to the head as possible and pull slowly. Brian did that but the head came off and was still inside him.

So today I took Zabe to the vet. Once four people were holding him down, it just took a second to get that out. The vet began checking him over to make sure there were no other ticks. When she looked at his back foot, she gasped - it was bleeding.

She discovered that inbetween the pads of his feet he has growths of some kind. He's been licking and chewing on his feet to get at them, and that caused an infection on two feet. I had noticed that he's been chewing on his feet alot but couldn't see anything there and he never showed he was in pain. I feel really guilty that I missed it. I also am really scared. We don't know what it is yet - she thinks it might be warts, but it could be any number of things. We'll treat it with antibiotiocs for two weeks and if there's no change or they get worse we'll biopsy. The only problem is I can't get Zabe to stop chewing on his feet. The vet gave me a doggy collar, but zabe is so long and skinny, he just carefully curls himself and he has no problem. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow to see if there's anything else I can try.

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I WANT TO KNOW YOU...
I want to know 34 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, never liked each other (but I can't imagine why you would be here if we didn't like each other!), or if we already know everything about each other.

1. Can you cook?: yes.
2. What was your dream growing up?: To be an author and run a border collie rescue farm.
3. What talent do you wish you had?: Sing like a top american idol. If I could have my own superpower, it would be the power to heal other's minds and souls.
4. Favorite place?: I don't have one
5. Favorite vegetable?: brocelli, but I can't spell it
6. What was the last book you read?: I read the new Meg Cabot mystery, a guilty pleasure of mine.
7. What zodiac sign are you?: Virgo
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?: I used to have my nose pierced but I took it out when I started trying to get paid for social work.
9. Worst Habit?: Italktofast.
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?: your my goddammed sister
11. What is your favorite sport?: I enjoy watching men's diving for dirty reasons.
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?: generally optomistic. still can't spell it though!!
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?: probably find some way to annoy you.
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?: probably my entire freshman year of high school. I was fighting with mom and dad all the time and I was suicidal. I guess I've been fairly fortunate in escaping tragedy.
15. Tell me one weird fact about you.: You already know this, but I've had like four or five broken bones.
16. Do you have any pets?: you betcha :D
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?: how sad is it that I always screwed up the macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?: 10:28 pm
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?: sad and creepy?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?: I'd be 200 lbs lighter
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?: your conscience, you bad girl!
22. What color eyes do you have?: Blue
23. Ever been arrested?: Not yet!
24. Bottle or Draft?: bottle
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?: Pay off tuition and loans
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?: I always get the bubble gum all over my face
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?: I don't really go to bars anymore, but if I had to pick one I guess I'd say the Landmark... Becca I can't wait to take you there, there's a tetris arcade game... we can drink and play tetris, just like we were five and ten again.. except then we were drinking pickle juice....
28. Do you believe in ghosts?: maaaaaaybe
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?: read, cuddle with my dog
30. Do you swear a lot?: sometimes.
31. Biggest pet peeve?: bad drivers, I see a lot of them in the ghetto
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?: outgoing and opnionated, unable to spell
33. In one word, how would you describe me?: Antisocial and nerdy, gorgeous
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?: Absolutely

Hi! So how are things? Things are fine here.

My job is ok, but I'm looking for something out of Milwaukee county now, I'm tired of the long commutes home. Speaking of long commute, I have to head out in a minute, so I'll wrap this up. Zabe is good, and when I say good I mean he's bad when there's food around or when he wants attention.... but he's a great dog when he's asleep!

Brian and I are good. We've canceled the big wedding plans, we can't afford a big todo and we couldn't please everyone anyways, so it's off. Now we're just going to go and get married at a court house. I'll let you know when it's done. Brian is still working as a delivery driver, but he's making plans to start college again in the fall.

Our days are pretty tame. We work, do chores, spend time with Zabe. We have digital cable with DVR, which makes watching our favorite TV shows easy to keep up on, which is nice. We also play that game, World of Warcraft, a lot. Our life is probably pretty boring, but we're happy and we like it.

I hope things are good with you too! send me an email sometime.
Later,
Sarah

Welcome, next generation!

a couple weeks ago Brian's brother, Jeff, had a baby with his girlfriend. They named her India, which is actually a country. This is the first grandchild for Brian's parents, so it's a pretty big deal. Brian and I went to see her last weekend. She's a pretty little infant, so easy going, and she melted our hearts.

We hung out with some guys from our world of warcraft guild that brian knows in real life. Now I know them too. They are nice guys but aparently have no lives. We could not even get two of them to leave the house to go to the bar with us.

Last month Brian bought me a new video card for our anniversary. This month the stupid thing died. He bought it from Milwaukee PC so they put in a new one for me for free, but it sat in the shop for a week while they waited for a new one from the manufactorer. Blah. I'm of two minds about wether a video card from MilwaukeePC is good or not: the stupid thing only lasted a month, maybe I should blame MilwaukeePC? Or should I be glad that the store handed the warranty for me and installed a new one for free?

I took the state examination for my social work license today. I passed with a 92%.

so what if it's open book.


I still have to pass the national exam, which is another $200 to take.