I've moved again

Ok, I wanted to write some private posts so I switched back to Wordpress.

My site is www.jillianranee.com

So, copy and paste my new link in your follow box and let's keep these very bloggy relationships going!  I love all my readers and hope you guys love my blog too :)

We Have An Agreement

We finally heard back from our trusty realtor!  It looks like we've agreed on a price and conditions.  Now we're waiting for the official paperwork!

It looks like this is where we will start the next phase of our lives together:

We have a lot to look forward to (and a lot of work) in the coming months!  How early is too early to start packing?  Can you start packing before you have an official purchase contract in hand?  Let's get started....

Dear Realtor

Dear Realtor,

Hi!  I haven't heard from you all afternoon.  I know it's not really your fault and the sellers are just taking forever, but I'm starting to get concerned.  I've been waiting by the phone like a love sick teenager...seriously, if I check the phone one more time the unlock button is gonna stop working.  (I don't know the life span of an unlock button, but I'm dangerously close to finding out.)  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that my phone is broken (unfortunate because it would mean that you had tried to call, couldn't get in touch and I could just call you to get the good news that we are going to be new home owners.)

Honestly, I'm just so surprised you haven't called to ask me out, I mean, iron out the details of this real estate transaction.  (Did you see what happened there? I am literally turning into a love sick teen.)

So anyway, I wanted to pass along all my contact info in case you accidentally lost my regular number.  That's totally possible right?

Now, you usually use my cell and normally that is the best number but I also have a home phone and an office line.  If you would like to send notification over fax, No Problemo! It only takes 2 seconds to plug in the fax machine.  I also have fax at work, so does Hubs.  We prefer phone calls or emails but fax would work too.  

Speaking of email.  I have several, jilliancheer at msn, jillian ranee at gmail, and jillian at jillianranee.com  Oh, and I have a work email too.  Hubs' emails are easy; dashaun at dashaun.com, gmail.com, and openjack.com.  I'm pretty sure he has more if you need them....feel free to drop us a quick note.

In case the regular forms of communication are not available, we can both be found on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Flickr...you know, just in case you want to send us a quick message letting us know the status of our pending offer.

Oh, and Athlinks.com but surely we can connect before we have to resort to a race result tracking website.  Oh, and let's not forget our websites:  jillianranee.com, dashaun.net, and .com

Well, that about covers it.  If you wanted to deliver the happy news in person you know where we live.  Feel free to come by...

Love,
Your anxious clients

No News Is Good News? Not Always

The person who said, "no news is good news," never tried to buy a house.  Or get a job.

This is kind of getting ridiculous.  I'm so sick of waiting.  We still haven't heard back on our offer and apparently our initial offer gives them until 5pm tomorrow.  I mean, what's the point of putting your house on the market if you aren't willing to play ball...

(Never mind that I totally backed out of an offer on our town-house earlier this year...this post isn't about me; it's about these ridiculous sellers and their lack of urgency.)

So, since there is no news to report I thought I would update everyone on the insanity that is waiting for your realtor to call.  Hubs is even getting impatient; he's IM'd me several times this afternoon asking if we have heard anything and I always have to respond: no.

Lame.

The Wheels of Progress Move Slow

Hubs and I put an offer on a house yesterday and the waiting is killing us (well it's killing me, I really haven't heard much out of Hubs today.)  But seriously, why are they taking so long to respond?  I've already moved into this house!  I know where our furniture goes and dreamt about baking cookies in our new kitchen.  (Cake mix cookies, not "from scratch" cookies.)    

I know how it works: our realtor calls their realtor and then their realtor calls their client and then they take some time to discuss.  After they make a decision, they call their realtor and their realtor calls our realtor and he calls us.  Then we discuss.  After we make a decision we call our realtor back and he calls their realtor and so on and so on...no wonder it takes so long!  I suppose this particular method is the most void of emotional thoughtless decision making but the waiting is killing me.

So, if anyone has pull with the "real estate" gods, let them know that Hubs and I impatiently sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for an answer....

Racing Goals for 2011

A little bit ago Hubs sent me this IM:

I think your readership is bigger than you think; I just got asked why you don't have any racing goals on your resolution post that I hadn't even read yet.

I responded with this:

Hmmmm.  Tell them that my racing goals/resolutions are lumped in with finding more patience with you.

Hubs:  hahaha
Me:  I got jokes
Hubs:  Its funny cause it's true.

I've been thinking about that thought since he asked and so this is my real answer to that question:

I didn't make any racing resolutions because unlike a lot of people around me, I only enjoy the OCCASIONAL race.  I'm a fair weather racer.  If I'm feeling good, the weather is suppose to be nice, and I'm in no danger of drowning I will sign up and decide if I'm racing ON race day.

I have no desire to run a full marathon, complete an Olympic distance triathlon or be any type of Ironman.  It's not that I don't think I can do it (Oprah ran a marathon for goodness sakes) my lack of motivation comes from this simple statement: I don't get the point.  I'm perfectly satisfied running 3 or 4 or even 6 miles on a good day.  I like doing the 12ish mile Longview Loop on my bike and being done with it.

I suppose if someone told me they would pay me to swim, bike, run everyday and I could take naps and eat whatever I wanted that might be a different story.  The point would be: its my job. And the better I do my job, the better I get paid.  But to just get up at the ass crack of dawn on the weekends to suffer through a race is not really my idea of a great time.  I already get paid to suffer through something else during the week...it's called work.  Why would I want to subject myself to the same misery on my days off?

I know people that run marathons.  After Hubs finished his first marathon he said he didn't feel the clouds part and the 'come to Jesus' moment a lot of people feel when they finish a marathon.  His life wasn't different at all.

Another friend posted this after her first marathon:

"I trained for my first full marathon (26.2 miles) for 6 months and completed it in October 2010. Surprisingly, I left the experience feeling somewhat empty and unfulfilled. I had raised so much money and run so many miles and for what? I know that there are many people out there that I had helped through the money I raised, but I still felt lost.  I had no desire to run anymore. What was the point? Yes, it made me feel good sometimeands, and yes, I had met some amazing people, but the warmth of my bed in the morning sounded so much more appealing."

The point of my racing is this:  Hubs enjoys it and I like spending time with Hubs so I will continue to begrudgingly follow him around while he races.  And I will do a few along the way--if I feel like it.

So, here are my racing goals for 2011:

• Do 1 race a month  (assuming the weather permits--Jillian Carter permits; not race permits.)

• In keeping with our agreement I will continue to buy one new outfit for every race I run although this year we are going to change it from 'racing' outfits to just 'outfits'

• Not push myself so hard I throw up while biking

• Remember my cow bell so I can be an appropriately noisy fan.  (Beth continuously showed me up last season.)

• Volunteer for the Lawrence/Branson half Ironmans and unlike last year, I will show up for both...

• It is likely I will run a 5k in under 30 minutes.  But, if not, I will sleep just fine...

• And I might run the KC Half Marathon (again) just to prove that anyone can run a half marathon if they want to...

Again, I think 2011 is going to be a steller year.  For racing and otherwise!

Resolutions? Goals?

So, with 2010 gone and 2011 here.  It might be time to state some resolutions/goals for the year.

(For the record, on Dec 31st Hubs and I resolved to NOT order pizza in the month of January.  Can you guess what we had for a late dinner on January 2nd?)

In 2011 I resolve to:

• Be more patient with Hubs.  And Tyson.  
• do at least some type of physical activity everyday, even if it's just walking the dogs.
• do at least SOME laundry every day (or week.)
• call my sister at least once a week.  Even if we have nothing substantial to say...
• Finally learn how to knit.  I said I was going to do this with my Grammy but that didn't happen so it's all up to me now. 
• Get back to reading.  I used to read a 3 or 4 books a month an now I'm struggling to get past the 'sample' portions when I read on my Nook. 

Sure these resolutions may seem easy, and maybe they are...but the point isn't to make goals/resolutions that are hard; the point is to make a difference.  And these goals would definitely make a difference. So, I'll keep you updated on the progress of the aforementioned resolutions. 

I have a feeling this year is gonna be different.

What are your resolutions?

Welcome 2011

2011 has come in with a bang!  Hubs and I headed over to STL to visit a couple friends AND see Crystal Method...again.  We saw them in Chicago last year but we really didn't get to experience it the way we wanted so we did a Crystal Method Take 2.

It was nice seeing friends we hadn't seen in a while and we even met some super cool new friends that actually turned out to be friends with the friends we were meeting....the world is so small.

After we got back we slept in on Sunday and had a pretty lazy day watching football.  I'm pretty darn excited for my Chiefs to play in the playoffs I just hope that yesterday's showing is not and indication of how they plan on playing for their first play-off game.

After football we went house shopping (we've decided against building for a myriad of reasons the primary being we like to go places and do stuff and being married to our mortgage doesn't really sound like a recipe for a happy life.)  I think we found a house and we're going to put a bid on it today.  So, hopefully that will all workout...let the negotiations begin!

When the President Calls about the Vick Dogs

When the news broke about the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal I was heartbroken.  How could someone be so heartless and void of humanity.  I just couldn't understand why everyone was focusing on his football career instead of his heinous unforgivable behavior.  I felt slightly vindicated when he went to prison (although I'm certain his sentence should have been longer, I totally think he got off way too easy.)  Anyway, when he was released and all the hub-bub about his inevitable return to football started I was appalled all over again.  I was confident the NFL wouldn't give this guy a second chance.  I mean seriously, he brutally killed tons of innocent dogs for his personal enjoyment.  Theeeeeeen, the Eagles signed him and I can't ever remember being so disappointed at such a politically incorrect second chance in my life.  Ask Hubs.  

Fast forward 2 years and this article from The Best Friends Blog was posted yesterday.  And it broke my heart all over again....I loved this post and applaud Francis for standing up for what he believes.

Here it is below: 

When the President Calls about the Vick Dogs
By: Francis Battista

Now that President Obama has jumped on the Michael Vick bandwagon with an official call to Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie to congratulate him for giving the quarterback another chance, all of us here at Best Friends are waiting for a call from the White House to congratulate us for giving Vick’s dogs a second chance. I’m quite sure that the other organizations that also took on some of the canine survivors of the football star’s dogfighting operation are similarly poised.

The conventional wisdom on this is that the president’s people have put their finger to the wind and decided that Michael Vick has been sanitized for political consumption by his success. (It’s interesting to speculate how he would be perceived if he were having a lousy year.) Personally, I’m kind of tired of hearing and reading about Michael Vick and wish that the media would lose its obsession with the man, especially since any mention of or concern about the dogs who managed to escape with their lives from his care is conspicuously absent from his public statements.

While we no longer wait by the phone for a call from Mr. Vick asking after his dogs, the likelihood of a call from the president has brought new esprit to the switchboard team and I’ve put together some notes on those we call the Vicktory dogs in case someone puts the historic call through to me by mistake. The conversation will go something like this:

“Mr. President, what a surprise! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to commend us for giving the Vicktory dogs a second chance. Sure, I’ve got a few minutes to fill you in … kind of a presidential briefing, I guess.

“To be quite honest, sir, it’s kind of a mixed bag as far as how the dogs are doing. After all, these critters were right there when Michael Vick and his friends were body slamming some of their doggie buddies to death and electrocuting, drowning and hanging others. Unlike Mr. Lurie and the NFL, Bad Newz Kennels wasn’t into second chances. What’s that, sir? Yes, he’s having a great year … yeah, a terrific arm.

“So, as I was saying, it’s a mixed bag on the dogs, though some are doing very well, all things considered. Handsome Dan, Cherry, Mel, Oliver and Halle have all been adopted and some of these guys were pretty shut down, you know, terrified when they arrived here. Mel was mentioned in Bill Plaschke’s article in the L.A. Times about Michael Vick … yeah, he interviewed Mel’s new family in Texas. Poor dog still shakes in a corner whenever a new person comes to the house, but he’s in a great home and that’s what counts.

“What’s that, sir? Sure, we want them all to be adopted and live in homes with a nice family, but unlike Mr. Vick, the court has ordered that most of the dogs, based on their behavior evaluations back in 2007, have to pass a good citizen test before they can be adopted. No, I’m serious. It’s called a Canine Good Citizen certificate, CGC, and it means that the dogs are able to demonstrate self-control, sociability and friendliness toward people and other dogs. Actually, it’s quite an accomplishment for a dog who was encouraged to be aggressive or maybe was used as a bait dog. Sir? Oh, a bait dog is a relatively non-aggressive dog who gets thrown into the ring with a stronger fighter just to give the stronger dog confidence and a taste for blood. That’s right, sir, kinda like a press secretary.

“Anyway, 16 dogs are still at the Sanctuary: Mya, Shadow, Lucas, Layla, Willie Boy, Georgia, Meryl, Ellen, Tug, Denzel, Ray, Squeaker, Lance, Curly, Little Red and Oscar. And they get a lot of attention. Most of them have health issues; some have bebesia, a blood parasite that spreads among fighting dogs and flares up occasionally. Some have immune problems that we speculate came from excessive use of steroids, but they continue to make progress.

“Ray, who was really shy and dog-reactive when he arrived, has earned his CGC. Oscar got his CGC and Shadow has made such great progress that he has a potential adopter coming to meet him next week. We’re very pleased. Most of the dogs are now social enough to share a run with another dog and some spend a few days a week in staff offices, getting comfortable in new environments with people coming and going. Yes, I guess it is a bit like the new Congress, except that most of the dogs would never bite you and I doubt that Congress people are able to share a run, um, I mean, an office. 

“Why do we do all this for these dogs? Well, Mr. President, that’s a big question but I’ll try to keep it short. First of all, we don’t believe that killing the Vick dogs, which many people and even some animal organizations wanted to do, would have been right. We know that they are individuals with the potential to have rewarding lives. They were like child soldiers kidnapped by warlords and forced to fight; no one thinks child soldiers should be killed just because they are damaged. Same thing applies here. Also, the Vicktory dogs are victims of a crime. As long as they are struggling to regain even a semblance of the life that should have been theirs from birth, then that crime continues to affect lives, dog and human, and is not yet a thing of the past, regardless of Michael Vick’s jail time or talent. You’re right, sir, it’s not funny and I’d hate to think of Bo in that situation, too.

“Of course, no worries! I’ve got a pretty busy day as well. Nothing like yours, but thanks for calling and please pass along a Happy New Year to Michelle, the girls and Bo from all the animals and staff here at Best Friends…. Oh, just one more thing: I think it would be a great message to send if you adopted a shelter dog as a companion for Bo, maybe a cute pittie girl with a big smile and wiggly butt. Sure, we can set you up. Call anytime — you’ve got the number. And a good day to you, too, Mr. President.”

Francis Battista

Co-Founder, Best Friends Animal Society

Water for Elephants...Take 5

8

I bought this book back in 2007.  I just couldn't get it started though.  The prologue put my mind on auto pilot so quickly I would finish it and not remember anything that I read. 

Last week, (since I saw the previews for the movie) I decided to download it on my Nook and give it another try.  The first chapter reminded me of my grandpa and I cannot wait to read to more.

Here's the passage that hooked me(which actually has nothing to do with my Grandpa)...

"When you are five, you know your age down to the month.  Even in your twenties you know how old you are.  I'm twenty three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven.  But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen.  It's a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation.  How old are you?  Oh, I'm----you start confidently, but then you stop.  You were going to say thirty-three, but you're not.  You're thirty-five.  And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end.  It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it."

I cannot wait to get further into this book. I think this book, in my life now is a true testament to timing.  And just because something or someone isn't the right fit right now; it doesn't mean it/they won't be later :) 

Have any of you read this book?  What did you think?



Go Go Gadget.....

I've never been the kind of girl to get excited about gadgets and technology and such.  Well, I've always had a new fancy phone but that is the extent of my technology wants.  Until now:

Nook for Android has changed my life.  Sure, the actual Nook is handy on car trips (and treadmills) but nothing beats being able to click click your phone and have the book you're reading pop up right where you left off.  I absolutely love it.

DJ Hero is the first game I've gotten into since the "SSX Tricky" addiction of 2002.  I played that game incessantly.  And now, I can't stop with the DJ Hero 2.  I love it more than Nook for Android.

Satellite Radio?  Oh, how I love thee.  You make my days in the car so much more enjoyable.

Garmin GPS?  How else am I going to know where to go?

I cannot wait to find the next thing I can't live without!

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010 was a tough one.  It's the first Christmas without my Grandma and coincidentally the first Christmas I've spent in a home that I've never lived in...Other than that, Christmas was good.  My Mom and Dad know how to make a holiday special and family is what Christmas is really all about anyway.  (Although, those new Uggs felt kinda nice.  And when you couple those new boots with my new North Face jacket..it was quite a warm and cozy holiday :)

Friday, we went to Hubs' parents house.  I helped Alda cook dinner and drink wine (well, I didn't help her drink wine, I helped her cook.  She drank her own wine.)  And then we did presents.  Hubs got tons of triathlon gear and I got a new purse, a specially made cross stitch that Alda stitched with tons of love.  I think Whitney was excited about her swim parka too.  The evening ended with a friendly game of Scrabble and I may or may not have won a game; which is kind of a big deal in the Carter household---they take their Scrabble very seriously.

On Saturday, we got up early and made biscuits and gravy at my moms.  I suppose Juls and Bret actually made the biscuits but we brought over the groceries :)  Then, it was time for presents!  Presents are always exciting.  My mom always knows exactly what we want and she does an amazing job of finding things we will love.  Then the eating started...again.  And pretty much didn't stop until we got home.  Although, I did take a small break to win a Yahtzee game. 
Finally on Sunday we bundled up and head to Arrowhead for the Chiefs/Titans game.  It was freezing, but we had a great time.  After the game, we cleaned up the house and had a quiet afternoon cuddling on the couch. 

I would say all in all Christmas 2010 was a success.  Maybe next year we will have a little one to celebrate the holiday with....

Dry Shampoo, I think I Love You

Super straight, fine hair is usually a blessing.  I can wash it, let it air dry (in like 8 minutes) and it looks exactly the same as if I had blown it dry and styled it---it's always stick straight. 

The only downfall?  It requires a daily washing or it looks like a grease ball.  Seriously, it gets disgusting. 

Yesterday I didn't wash my hair.  I was planning on washing it this morning.  And as luck would have it, I got up late so I had no choice but to leave the house with hair only a mother could see past.  Although, I'm certain if my mom had seen my mane, she would have asked me what was IN my hair and when I told her it was mostly just grease she might have asked me when I stopped having any pride in appearance.  (Not that her and I have EVER had that conversation in the past...right, mom?)  Let's just say my hair looked gross...even in a ponytail.

In a desperate attempt to regain even a tiny sliver of dignity, I picked up Dry Shampoo for the first time ever.  Cause seriously, who doesn't have time to wash their hair?  And all I have to say is:  LIFE SAVER!  I just sprayed it in, waited 2 minutes, brushed it out, and Viola! I have clean-ish hair!  Let's just hope no one tries to touch it (day 3 might have been pushing the limits on even the best dry shampoo.)  I think I might start using it on Day 2 and then maybe my hair will stay healthier longer!  

Dry Shampoo, I think I love you....

Reindeer Challenge Weekend 2010

Over the weekend Hubs and I headed to STL to judge the Reindeer Challenge for Great Lakes Championship Company. 

Hubs and I got a solid 3 or 4 hours of laughing, talking, and giggling on the way to STL and then when we arrived watched the much anticipated "Ultimate Fighter Finale."  The finale took longer than the car trip and I was definitely ready for bed when it was over. 

Then, on Sunday we spent the day judging cheerleading.  Judging is an excellent way to stay relevant in a hobby that I still love (and getting paid doesn't suck either.)    This was my very first Jam Brands event though and I should have spent more time getting familiar with ALL aspects of their scoring sheet...but, after the first session I felt like I was rocking it out pretty confidently.  Luckily, we had a really hands on head judge---that was a lifesaver...especially for the first few teams. 

We met lots of cool people and I definitely did some serious laughing throughout the day, so I would say the competition was a compete success.
We didn't leave STL until 8ish so we didn't get back to KC until super late but Hubs being the most awesome husband in the world, he dropped me off so I could get to bed while he drove the 35 minutes each way to and from his parents house to pick up Mr. Tyson. 

I was sound asleep when we got home!  All in all I would say the weekend was full of fun, laughs, and good times!  I can't wait for the next one!

It Feels Good To Be Back

Tonight in the Carter household a HUGE victory has been won. After many months of passive aggressive complaining and eye rolls; Team Jillian has officially logged an, oh so satifying WIN and we are moving back to Blogger!

Remember this letter? Our trial separation is over....it is a beautiful day!

For those of you that know Hubs (and are not computer geeks) it can be difficult for Hubs to understand how the general public (aka me) does not understand the complexities of website development/hosting/coding/HTML (I seriously just typed ALL the computer geek words I know)

ANYWAY, back when I was trying to explain to Hubs how moving my site to WP would be detrimental to my independent website maintenance, he laughed and said, "It's easy! You will figure it out." And then I moved. Since then Hubs has fielded numerous phone calls and instance messages stating (sometimes yelling):

• My Twitter isn't coming up...AGAIN!
• My Flickr isn't working...AGAIN!
• Why are my fonts all messed up?!?!?!
• jillianranee.com is down!!!!!
  
• I want a search bar!
• I need a follow me on FB/Twitter button

The list goes on and on..... Anyway, tonight Hubs mentioned that he would like to have a 'followers' button on dashaun.net (you know, like all of his friends on Blogger ;) and so I started searching for a 'followers' plugin on WP. (FYI, there isn't one.) And then our conversation went like this:

Me: Sometimes I really miss Blogger.
Hubs: Really? WP is so much better..
Me: Yeah, I hear you but I know how to work Blogger. It's like blogging for dummies.
Hubs: Fine. If you want to move back to Blogger you can.
Me: But I need you to get all my posts to Blogger!
Hubs: I will look into it later.
Me: Pa leeeeze, Blogger is so easy...I bet I can figure it out on my own!!! Holler!

(I google for several minutes and of course all the possible solutions for importing my WP to my Blogger were written in computer geek...so lame.

Me: Hi! I think I might need some help.
Hubs: Hmmm I thought Blogger was soooo easy to use?
Me: (scoul)

10 minutes later all my posts were imported and everything is headed in the right direction. Hubs however, had to spend a few minutes on my Blogger Dashboard to facilitate this much appreciated transfer and that's when I hear:

Hubs: Blogger is kinda cool. Analytics is right there!
Me: Wait, What! Blogger is kinda cool?
Hubs: Wait, you can montize right here too?

I'm not exactly sure what 'monetize' means but I know Hubs was excited....this was his next statment:

Hubs: Now that yours is migrated, I think I might move dashaun.net.
Me: Wait, you after all that arguing and 'blogger is stupid' talk you are going to move dashaun.net?
Hubs: I don't think I actually said, "blogger was stupid. I think I just implied it."
Me: But now you are moving?
Hubs: Maaaaybe.

Who knows if Hubs will ACTUALLY move his blog...but I can't wait to find out! Win. Win. Win.