Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all who read here!

I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter... whatever you are celebrating with family and loved ones this year, I wish you the best and brightest!

I hope that 2008 has been good, and I really hope that 2009 will be even better! I am excited to see how our new president tackles the tough job(s) put in front of him. I am thankful that my family and friends are healthy and happy. I am looking forward to gathering with my family on Dec 24th and having a big meal and exchanging gifts (I love to buy gifts for people, there really is nothing better!!) It will be my niece's first holiday season! Strange to think that I am 30 and she is not yet one year old :):)

Whatever you do, no matter where you go, know that you are wished warm hugs and fun treats (bring on the cookies :) )

Jim and I are starting a tradition of "Christmas Day Lasagna" -- We are going to indulge in our favorite food all day long... we are so easy to please :) We are also now exercising and keeping track of and limiting our calories each day... so I guess getting started on a "new year's resolution" early :)

Happy Holidays, travel safely and make lots of memories!!!


With love,
Angel

Barack Obama

Here is Barack Obama's speech from election night. I hope that any who disagree with him being the choice for the next president can at least give him the time and any help that is asked of us to turn this economy and country around. Congratulations President-Elect Obama!



I personally am very proud that as a nation we came together to elect this man because of his principles, and his direction for the country, and we were able as a nation to put race aside and choose the best person for the job. Now if only we were not banning people who love each other from getting married (prop 8 is going to pass in California)

It's a great time for America!!

Angel

Happy Birthday To Jim!

Happy Happy Birthday to the love of my life!!
I hope that the coming year brings you more joy than you think you can handle!
I love you,
Angel

Song lyrics

Here are the lyrics to a song that I really like. It's one that gets stuck in my head a lot, even when I least expect it. I thought I would share it here on my blog.

"Brand New Day"
--By Sting

How many of you people out there
Been hurt in some kind of love affair
And how many times do you swear that you'll never love again?

How many lonely, sleepless nights
How many lies, how many fights
And why would you want to put yourself through all that again?

"Love is pain," I hear you say
Love has a cruel and bitter way
Of paying you back for all the faith you ever had in your brain

How could it be that what you need the most
Can leave you feeling just like a ghost?
You never want to feel so sad and lost again

One day you could be looking
Through an old book in rainy weather
You see a picture of her smiling at you
When you were still together
You could be walking down the street
And who should you chance to meet
But that same old smile that you've been thinking of all day

You can turn the clock to zero, honey
I'll sell the stock, we'll spend all the money
We're starting up a brand new day

Turn the clock all the way back
I wonder if she'll take me back
I'm thinking in a brand new way

Turn the clock to zero, sister
You'll never know how much I missed her
Starting up a brand new day

Turn the clock to zero, boss
The river's wide, we'll swim across
Started up a brand new day

It could happen to you - just like it happened to me
There's simply no immunity - there's no guarantee
I say love's such a force - if you find yourself in it
And sometimes no reflection is there

Baby wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute

Turn the clock to zero, honey
I'll sell the stock, we'll spend all the money
We're starting up a brand new day

Turn the clock to zero, Mac
I'm begging her to take me back
I'm thinking in a brand new way

Turn the clock to zero, boss
The river's wide, we'll swim across
Started up a brand new day

Turn the clock to zero buddy
Don't wanna be no fuddy duddy
Started up a brand new day

I'm the rhythm in your tune
I'm the sun and you're the moon
I'm a bat and you're the cave
You're the beach and I'm the wave
I’m the plow and you’re the land
You're the glove and I'm the hand
I'm the train and you're the station
I'm a flagpole to your nation - yeah

Stand up all you lovers in the world
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl
Stand up all you lovers in the world
Starting up a brand new day

I'm the present to your future
You're the wound and I’m the suture
You're the magnet to my pole
I'm the devil in your soul
You're the pupil I'm the teacher
You're the church and I'm the preacher
You're the flower I'm the rain
You're the tunnel I'm the train

Stand up all you lovers in the world
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl
Stand up all you lovers in the world
Starting up a brand new day

You're the crop to my rotation
You're the sum of my equation
I'm the answer to your question
If you follow my suggestion
We can turn this ship around
We'll go up instead of down
You're the pan and I'm the handle
You're the flame and I'm the candle

Stand up all you lovers in the world
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl
Stand up all you lovers in the world
We're starting up a brand new day

If you are like me, and would like to hear/see the video for the song, to get a sense of how the lyrics are used.. here is a link to the video on YouTube.

Watch the video on YouTube

Enjoy, have a great fall weekend all!!

Angel

Please Vote!

I don't really like to get all political with anyone but my husband.. cuz, well I sometimes find it wrong,annoying,irritating and just generally messed up to hear others rant and rave about their views.

What I do want to say in this blog post is please VOTE. VOTE for whomever (whoever?) you feel is best qualified, but please cast your ballot. Elections in this country have been closer as of late than I think many people think that they really are.

Jim and I both cast our early ballots last Wednesday. I take great pride in the fact that this is one very important but very easy thing that I have the privilege of doing since I am a United States citizen. I know many many many people who don't vote. I hope that I can convince them to take the nation up on its open offer to have a stake in this election, and all the ones to come. I hear a lot of reasons why my friends and family members DON'T vote. Things like.. I don't understand the cantdidates...I don't feel educated enough to choose between these two... I voted back in the election between (x and y candidate) and then look how that turned out.. etc etc...

Please don't let these things stop you from voicing your opinion with your vote. There is a debate on all of the free tv stations starting in about an hour tonight. Watch it, study the candidates in the local paper, online, in person if you can make it to a rally... just take some time.. I really think that anyone who does this, and in the end (November 4th) casts their vote proudly for the person that THEY feel will best lead our country in these panicky, rough timese .. I think that they will feel good about that decision, and proud that they did what they could do to shape the future of our country...

*gets off of soapbox*

Ok.... so.. Thanks for reading this post, and I hope that everyone that is legally able to vote that reads this blog post GOES OUT AND VOTES :):) Happy Friday to all...

PS.. .voting is not painful. Most polling places don't even allow campaigning of any type within 100 feet of the polling place so you shouldn't even be hassled when you go!!!


my two cents..

Angel

Vacation

We had a wonderful vacation. This was a great way to celebrate me turning 30!!

We did lots of things each day, I have listed some of the main places we went in case you want to take a look. There is so much to do in Orlando! Instead of sitting around in the evening saying to one another "what can we do tonight" ... "nothing" ... there was ALWAYS something to do or to look at in Orlando!

Jim and I went on the vacation with my Mom and Dad. They had a wonderful resort that we stayed at complete with pool, huge outdoor hottub, pizza delivery right there if you wanted it.. tennis courts.. the whole nine yards! It was a great place, and we used it for some lounging and pool time, but we were on the move most of the time.

Jim and I were on a budget on the trip as well, and we STILL had a more than spectacular time. A couple of the things we did, we had tickets in advance that we bought online. We found out that the dinner show we went to was regularly 55 dollars, and we got our tickets online for 24.00 a piece! I am going to make sure to see what I can save on online in advance of any other trips I take!!! We did not do any of the theme parks, but I think we saw a bunch of them. I kind of feel sorry for my parents when it is time to take the small grandkids, seeing as we wanted to see Epcot, and the tickets were 85.00 ... ouch.. good thing we are old enough not to need to see those things :):)

One night we went to citywalk, and drank hurricanes at Pat O'brien's. I had 3, and I should have only had one. Something they do with those drinks masks the fact that each 24 oz drink has 4 oz of rum in it!!!! The next day wasn't as pleasant as I had hoped... (read: I wanted to croak) ... but other than that one episode of bad judgement, we had a GREAT TIME..

We went to the Bass Pro Shop.. I even had fun there, looking around at all the animals they have set up and watching the catfish and such in the aquarium. I was surprised to see that they had a whole line of boats on display right in the store as well... talk about a big store!!!

There is a lot for a person who loves to shop... .we went to some outlet malls, and some higher end stores that I have never even heard of were there.. very cool to see all of that "big city" type stuff... reminds me that in little ol' South Dakota, we can be missing out on a whole lot... at the same time.. the traffic.. whew.. the traffic. I am not certain I could (or would want to) drive there. wowsers..

Ok, so my first time in the ocean was just awesome. I do need to get my "sea legs" though, because after about an hour of playing around and loving the waves.... well, I didn't actually get sick or anything, but I sure did feel like I needed to get out of the water and rest on the sand a bit. Then we took in the view from the tiki bar on the end of the pier, and got in the water again. I can see why Jim talks so highly of being able to go to the ocean whenever he wanted as a kid (in california) ... it really is a great way to spend a day. And works on muscles that I didn't know I had, too :):)

I would gladly go back to Florida anytime. I loved it. One thing that did surprise me was how humid it was every day, 24 hours a day, and how stifling the heat of the midday sun can be there. I mean, wow, South Dakota gets hot, and we complain about humidity.. but wowsers.. and we were not aware before we went that they have a slight rain/thunderstorm most days, seems to be around 4-6pm ish... now I am not sure if this is truly typical, but while we were there, it would cloud over, rain a bit, maybe some lightning, then clear up and you can go on with your day. Very diferent it seems than here, where a thunderstorm usually lasts a while, and ruins out door plans.



Where We Stayed The resort that my mom and dad own, they hosted us for the week.


Old Town We had a great time checking out all the rides and shops, and the "nostalgia" of this area.


Downtown Disney Tons of great shops and eateries, lots of must see for any Disney fan! (Slideshow from here below :-))


Cocoa Beach Pier One day we spent at the OCEAN. It was my first time. We even had a drink in the tiki bar on the pier. It was a great time!


CityWalk We came out here to drink and walk around all of the shops and nightclubs. I really never made it past Pat O's though...


Pat O'brien's @ CityWalk Just a hint... If you go here, and you want a hurricane drink... Only have ONE...


Arabian Nights Dinner Show This was a great fairy tale story told with beautiful horses. They also serve you dinner and soft drinks while you watch.. A must see if you are in Orlando!

Pointe Orlando At Pointe Orlando, there are a ton of neat shops to look through, and a GREAT pizza shop!


International Drive Shops International drive has more to do/eat/see on it than most anywhwere else I've been. We took in a lot of the shops.


Bass Pro Shop Normally I would not be a huge fan of a hunting/fishing store, but the aquariums and animals all over made it fun.


We also visited 4 huge Flea Markets: 192 Flea Market, Visitors Market, Main Gate Flea Market, International Drive Flea Market

Going on a vacation...

So for my 30th birthday I am going to get to see the ocean. If tropical storm Fay has her way, I won't actually swim in one, but I will see it.. yup. We are going to Orlando, and staying in the timeshare there that my parents have (thanks for that mom and dad)

My parents have been to Orlando before, so I think that is great, they will be able to show us around a bit. We are going to one dinner show, Arabian Nights... with the beautiful horses and of course dinner... We are going to the beach and to get some pictures of cape canaveral. Other than that, sightseeing and "Citywalk" (Emeril's restaurant is there) and lots of assorted other fun things. From the looks of it, we may have to find a lot of indoor things to do, as it might be rainy much of the stay. Darn it Fay! Go Away! Vacationers don't want you, and the locals are SO SICK of you!

So I will be away for a while and then hopefully back with some great pictures for all to see :)

I'm 30, I'm 30!

I just wanted to commemorate my 30th birthday with a blog post.

I was not very excited as the 30 mark approached. There is so much I haven't done in my life, and so much that I may never do, and I think that milestone birthdays serve as a reminder of that for me.

I did want to share however, that the last 10+ years, I have been lucky enough to have a wonderful man by my side through all of my trials and failures, the laughing and the crying, the giving and the taking. That man is my husband, Jim Chasse. I don't know how my life would have been without him in it, but I don't really ever want to think about that. He is perfect for me. He takes care of me, but understands when I want to try to take care of myself. He tries to gently lead me into doing the right thing, but never tells me what to do. He is a friend and a lover, and he treats me as his equal.

Jim has been always trying to move himself forward, in every sense of the word. From finances, to innner understanding, to formal education in college. I admire so many things about Jim, and in many ways wish to emulate the stamina and positivity that he puts into his life, and into my life and into the world.

I love to just spend a day with Jim, debating about the next president, or flawed foreign policy, or the welfare system, or just why certain things should not be allowed for a child. We can talk for hours and hours about nothing, or anything at all. I love to hear what he has to say, and though at times we don't agree on specifics, our general outlook on life is very similar.

I love Jim for being himself, for not letting what others say or do change who he is, and what he does or says, or how he acts. He doesn't put on airs, and he doesn't think he is any better or any worse than anyone else in the world. Different, sure, but not any worse or any better.

I wish I could prioritize like Jim does. He has a great way of knowing when something "doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things" and is able to let those things go and focus on other things that are more meaningful.

Jim is a kind and gentle soul with me. If ever I need reassurance, or to feel safe and loved, he is the first and last place I need to look for those things. I have trully found my soulmate, lover, confidante, and best friend. I am so lucky to have entered my 20's and now my 30's with him by my side, supporting me, loving me and being there for me no matter what. I sometimes am in awe of how lucky I am to have found this person this early in my life. Hopefully he and I have many many many years left together.

Randy Pausch

An earlier post I made included video of "The Last Lecture" given by Randy Pausch.
As he knew it would, the pancreatic cancer has ended his life.

I for one, am saddened that such a bright, energetic, "doer" and a man of such intelligence has died. I am also glad that he got the time to say the things that he wanted to say before he died.

I hope that his family and all that knew them can find peace in what a great man he was and all that he gave to the world before he left it.

Here is the link again to the last lecture if you have not seen it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Kinda Whiny

Its HOT here now.

HOT makes me NOT want to ride my bike..

I can not complain too much, because compared to last year, we had an absolutely COOL and NOT HUMID June this year! WOO HOO :)

I fell in love with the treadmill at the gym that Jim is working at for the summer... and then I found out that it runs aproximately 6900.00 (That's right, almost seven thousand dollars american) hehe..

We will most likely get a treadmill before summer is over, but it will not be the one I have been using at the gym :) ;)

We have planned a trip to the beach for Friday, as Jimbo has the day off, and it is expected to reach 96 degrees here.. Cool lake water here we come :) We were rained out a couple of weeks ago when we made the journey, but I looked at the weather forcast on 3 websites, and no rain is forcast at all on any of them :):)

Jim got a new digital camera in anticipation of the Orlando Florida trip at the end of August, so he will no doubt be busy trying it out in the meantime.. :)

I have the Casio Exilm exZ57 and he has the Casio Exilim ex Z9 :) I have 5 megapixels and cruddy video capability, and he has 8 megapixels and High Quality video capability.. its all a trade off.. hehe..

I just asked Jimbo for the model # of his camera to post it here, and he said "why, are you looking it up to see the huge price drop that has happened since we bought it.." haha.. I didnt know about that. Such is life.... Wax On, Wax Off... hehe

We also got some "beginner type snorkel gear" for like 5 dollars at Kmart the other day, so Jimbo wants to get me all practiced up on my breathing through a tube etc etc before Florida.. wish me luck, I am not sure that this will be one of my strong suits.

Part of me wants to see if there is a safe reliable underwater case for my camera, but then the majority of me says "that was a big purchase, you would be devestated if it was ruined by water" ...

Oh, we got a great deal on woot.com today.. 2gb flash cards, a micro sd card for only 5.99 plus shipping. We got two of them at that price so in total we have 8gb worth of cards to take pictures and video with in Florida :) what great timing for that woot.com item.. we always joke here that "woot only puts the cool stuff up once they know we are broke for the month :) " ... this time we got lucky :)

Ok, this is getting long now. I wish you all cool breezes and plenty of iced tea/lemonade/soda :)

Angel

Sites I love (Most of them are daily must visits)

www.rosie.com (Rosie O'donnell's website. She is the inspiration for me starting a blog...so I shall list it first here :-))

www.drdeborahserani.blogspot.com (Dr Deb's site, she always has new and interesting pychological topics and keeps your mind thinkin!)

www.ted.com (Now available online are many TED talks..check it out!)

www.thepioneerwomancooks.com (Cooking blog that I have come to love)

www.facebook.com (I am addicted to scramble game and wordtwist game)

www.keloland.com (Local news and weather)

www.woot.com (One deal per day, usually tech-related)

www.sparkpeople.com (On this website, I track the foods eaten each day and exercise done)

And of course...

www.jimchasse.com (Jim's great, and often updated website)
and
www.angelchasse.com (My ok, not so often updated website)

I would love to hear from anyone reading this on what they think are their "go-to must read daily sites"

Of course there are the more mundane ones for me, like my bank account online, cnn.com for news, shopping websites, and general news and current events sites... but the ones listed above I thought might be new for some people. I also am a part of 2 "free samples" type websites :) I love those.. Jim and I never have to buy things for our "Travel and toiletries bag" now :):)

4th Of July :-)

This year we spent the 4th of July with my parents, at their house.

The day was laid back and relaxing. My sister and niece were able to make it, so that was a welcome surprise :) My niece is just shy of 3 years old and my has she grown! She used to take quite a while to warm up to us when she came to visit and it was great to see that that was not the case this time!! :)

The boys (Jim and my dad) made a contraption to explode a fire cracker and that in turn would blow a can off of the top of the little tube they were using. Sounds simple (and scary) enough, but it made for hours and hours of fun for all of us! Who knew blowing a can off of a tube could be so captivating?

We had a great time and ate too much for the diet.. but I guess that is the way it goes at holidays... We also got to discuss a little bit of an itenerary for our Florida trip at the end of August, so that was fun, and got us even more excited to be going.

A great time was had by all, and I hope that any one reading this now had a great 4th of July as well!!

Words found a lot on my blog :) Thanks Dr Deb :)

Completely about me.....

So, I posted before about how in August I turn 30.... well..
My parents own one of those time-shares that has timeshares everywhere it seems.
They invited Jim and I to spend a week at the end of August with them in Orlando Florida, and we happily have accepted (thank you to econonomic stimulus package) :)

We are going to explore the areas around Orlando, and also it will be my first time visiting/swimming in the ocean! Cocoa Beach FL here I come :)

We got fairly reasonable plane tickets thanks to my dad's relentless searching, and with the time share having a full kitchen, it really won't be too bad on the old pocketbook. I am very excited. Now, let's just all cross our fingers for no HURRICANES while we are there (last week in august) :)

I am pretty excited, both my mom and my husband grew up around the ocean (both in california) but I have never been. So I am excited about that, and to see all that the Orlando area has to offer!! Yay to turning thirty......not... hehe

Angel

Obama, and stuff about me :)

So, Obama is the "presumptive nominee" for the Democratic party in 2008. Wow, what a long long long journey it has been to this point. I guess I have to say that I am proud and awestruck that after the injustices of the civil war and beyond in this country, we have a black man running for president!!

I am turning 30 this year... what to do what to do... I hope to celebrate it and have some fun. It seems to me that 30 is "old" that 30 is.. not young anymore.. I guess I dont feel a lot different but I do notice that things and people seem to irritate me more easily. I am not sure if this is age, or climate, or just me, or what the deal is.. but I do know it has been happening... If anyone reads this, I would love to hear about what you did to celebrate your 30th birthday! I am not sure that a big trip is in the works, with prices of things the way they are, but I really want to do something meaningful, because for whatever reason, 30 seems important to me... not a twenty-something anymore not a teen..

Also with my 30th birthday, it feels that I need to finally accept and be ok with the fact that Jim and I will not have children. At this point, Jim in school, and me being 30 and him being almost 35, I really dont know that it would be right to bring a kid into the world, and be "old" while raising them... so with this 30 milestone, I need to and will give up on the fantasy of Jim and I having our own children. It will be hard, but I think that it needs to be addressed and dealt with and reckoned with once and for all.. It feels kind of like a death in the family, though there has been none. Sometimes, for a brief moment, I even revel in the idea that Jim and I are not sleep deprived, or trying to choose the best way to discipline a little one, or worrying about what kind of earth and world we will leave to them when we are gone.. but those are only passing moments. The other moments when I see a friend's child or I see the smile of a newborn in a store, seem to kill a little of me inside. But, I know that I can deal with this, and that I will deal with it, and the time to do so is now... so wish me luck :)

Camping and mars :-)

So this holiday weekend, we decided to go camping. You can see our camp setup at the left there. There is a small county park only about 5 miles from where we live, which is great with gas prices the way they are..and the park has a great trail for walking/riding bikes, and has a bathroom with a shower (with hot water no less) -- so for 6 dollars a night, it is a GREAT entertainment value!!

We had a great time camping, but we left after one night because we bought "sleeping mats" that are supposed to make it, well, less like you are sleeping on the ground, and more like you might want to ever sleep like that again :) haha.. we did not find them comfortable at all, so.. we had a great time, had a big campfire, and a great night of being out in nature and now we are back home.

One good thing about coming home on Sunday instead of Monday was that Jim got to track the Mars Lander on nasa.gov and got to see right away that it made a successful landing and is now sending back pictures!!! Pretty exciting.

Oh, and going back to the night before the camping and two nights before the Mars Lander, our friend Becky came over, and while on our way to eat, we were rear-ended. She has some pain in her back, which hopefully will clear up soon, but her car isn't going to heal very easily.. so, hopefully that is the last accident any of us will be in for a very long time!!!!

Eventful weekend, but more good than bad, Becky was able to come down and bbq with us, so we all had fun doing that too :)

What have I been doing?

Not a lot. Really, not a lot :)

I am super excited that Jimbo was granted summer work/study, so he doesn't have to find a McJob in the McHeat of summer :) He will be in the air conditioning thank goodness.

We have been riding our bikes almost every day, and most days 4 miles or more, up to about 11 miles for me, and about 20 miles for Jimbo. I hope that all of this exercising and trying to eat better pays off for me soon, but I am glad to report that it is working gangbusters for Jimbo! Down nearly 30 pounds! WOO HOO!!

I notice that we notice the weather more now that we use our bicycles... wind plays a role big time in me wanting to ride vs not wanting to ride! Jim will ride no matter what, but I am more picky :)

We planted 4 bel pepper plants out front of our apartment in a big pot, so I hope that I have a thumb at least green enough to have them make fruit :) :) With bell peppers here costing 88 cents each, it would be great to buy a plant for 1.50 that will bear 10 fruits over the summer season :) :) If this goes well, we will get a community garden plot next summer!! We live with in a half mile of the plots, so we could ride our bikes everyday to check the progress of our plants. :)

In other news, it is Mother's Day tomorrow. I sometimes have a hard time with this holiday as I am not a Mother, and I wish more than anything that I was. I tried to focus my energies this year on smothering my own Mom with cards etc, and friends that I know that are great Moms as well... but it is still a day of a bit of sadness for me. And a day of sadness for a great friend of mine that just very recently lost her own Mother. So I always try to keep in mind to say a special prayer for those that are a little bit unhappy on this particular holiday. But.....A salute to all of you that I know that are Mothers! It truly is the toughest job in the world, and it is the one that probably comes with the least amount of credit :) Thanks! I know that I have a WONDERFUL Mom, and I wish that all others could have one so great!

So, to sum up... haha.. not that I ramble... Jim got work study so he will be busy working at the school in the gym this summer... we hope to get a paddle boat to take on a nearby lake.. I will be turning 30 this August... let me see.. have I forgotten anything? Oh, we hope to hit up lots of garage sales for great deals on things we didn't even know we needed :) :)

If you read this post, then a red tulip is yours :)

Love,
Angel

Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture...

"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," at CMU on September 18, 2007
Here is an experience of mine, seeing something on television that was "worth watching" I have the entire lecture posted here, on TV it was only snippets with Mr Pausch interviewed in between. There is also a book out, so I may get that as well. I hope that anyone seeing this page makes the hour and 15 minute commitment to see this video. I do not believe you will be disappointed. It is my opinion that you will be better for having seen it.

Cilantro....spring!

This is a picture of one of my cilantro plants sprouting :):):):

Hey, I planted some corriander (cilantro) seeds, about 20 of them or so, and 5 are starting to sprout... they have only been planted a bit over two weeks.. I am so excited. It is more like I am a happy new mama than just a happy gardener. I don't grow things. I do not have a green thumb...at all... but here we go. Just some one dollar starter soil stuff from Walmart, and a packet of seeds.. a little watering and some sun... wooo hoo.. look what nature made with my help!!!

I do understand that my reaction to this is so.. third grade.. but.. I can't help myself :) :)

There is a community garden here in vermillion, and I intend to get info on what goes on there, so that we can grow some hot peppers and some bell peppers. I figure a packet of seeds could make a big bell pepper plant, and they are pretty expensive in the stores, so why not try our hand at growing them ourselves? I hope it works out.. we have no place to put pots out here, but hopefully on our bikes we can go by and check on things that we plant in the community garden :) I am excited... and though they are talking of snow this thursday and friday, I am not hurt by that, since all I have planted so far is my cilantro, and it is indoors by a window with sun :)

Ok, I guess that is all for now, just wanted to share my little slice of spring with you guys. I figured that after all the gloomy dark blogs, I could and should certainly share my good news :)

Happy Springtime all!!!

Angel

Hello? Spring? It's me calling....

Ok.. wow.. so yeah...

Jim and I got our bikes out, and began faithfully riding. Jim mostly does it because he likes it, and it makes good exercise, and I mainly do it to add an exercise component to my "we are eating healthfully, now some exercise...what do I hate least in exercise? Oh bike riding with Jim" haha

So, we were riding every day, and I got up to about 4 miles or so comfortably, with only minimal complaining.. (OK I complain endlessly..sorry Jim) And, here is the big one, I was actually starting to like it a little.. getting to add that to eating right, so that hopefully I can lose some weight, but I guess more importantly, to not get winded as easily and to be able to just be in better shape overal, inside and out..

So I said all that to say this.. wow. Since we got our bikes out and started riding and every day since then has been crappy.. haha.. I guess that there have been maybe 2 days in there we could have ridden the bikes, but wow, it would have been too cold :)

So hello spring, this is Angel calling, and I would like it if you would please come to South Dakota and stay a while... I don't like your following friend SUMMER very much, but don't tell him I said that. ;-)

I hope that you guys all get a taste of spring that is a lasting one soon. And if you can, go for a bike ride... its faster than walking, and can be pretty fun ;-) and ride your bike to go get something to eat.. cuz if you do the math, you can have more wiggle room in your food choices if you rode your bike there, and are riding it home :):):)

What else is new with me? I guess not much! A friend of mine (Hi Shan!) is moving back into my neck of the woods from far far away soon :) very soon, and I promise her, and myself that I am going to VISIT her... no more anti-social me.. nope... and next on the list is going to visit another friend... she lives a bit farther away .. hello airplane trip :):) (Hi Marty!)

We are also thinking of saving up to get a paddle boat for the lake this summer.. I can't wait :)

Ok I think I will end this blog on that note, until something else strikes me :)

Angel

To Jim

Every once in a while, you hear a song, and it seems as if it was written about you and for you and even like you wrote it yourself... For me the most recent one is by

Rascal Flatts called.. Every Day

And I would dedicate every last word of this song to my husband, Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



You could've bowed out gracefully
But you didn't
You knew enough to know
To leave well enough alone
But you wouldn't

I drive myself crazy
Tryin' to stay out of my own way
The messes that I make

But my secrets are so safe
The only one who gets me
Yeah, you get me

It's amazing to me
How every day
Every day, every day
You save my life

I come around all broken down and
crowded out and you're comfort

Sometimes the place I go
Is so deep and dark and desperate
I don't know, I don't know


Sometimes I swear, I don't know if
I'm comin' or goin'
But you always say something
Without even knowin'

That I'm hangin' on to your words
With all of my might and it's alright
Yeah, I'm alright for one more night-

Every day, every day, every day
Every day, every day
You save me, you save me, oh, oh, oh
Every day
Every, every, every day-

Every day you save my life

What do you do?

What do you do?

Motherhood. Mom. Grandma

What if those things are never going to happen for you?

What if you want more than most anything to be a mother, but your body is just not going to let that happen for you? How do you deal with that?

I struggle. I see kids. I see babies. I see people with babies.. I see people who don't even want babies but have them. I know people who have had abortions... I just dont know what to do with these feelings. I am sure that somewhere, probably even near me... is a support group of some sort, or there are online communities.. I guess my point is how does one just accept this, how does one become ok with the fact that they will never have a child of their own, and that adoption, may never be available for them either.

Is there just an epiphany one day where you can all of the sudden see how great it is to not have to worry about a child, or care for one, or afford one? Cuz if that is the case, I have not yet had that epiphany. Or do you just stop wanting what you can't have one day? Do you see all the positives in your own life as it is now and just stop wanting to add a child to that life? I would really really like to know, because sometimes now it feels like I have been robbed...

It seems to me that being a woman might not entitle you to much in the world, but it seems that everywhere I look, women are having babies. Some planned, some not planned, some loved and cherished.. others not so much. It seems that this is an easy thing. Fall in love CHECK Get married CHECK have a baby (BIG NO CHECK HERE)

I know that to some it seems that I obsess over this one thing. To me it is a big thing. I am not getting any younger. I am not saying that I would even be close to a perfect mother.. no way jose.. but I would LOVE and CHERISH and CARE FOR a baby, and to me, it seems like enough. If you are willing to put that baby above all else and care for it and love it and support and nurture it.. I dont see that as a bad thing. I know that adoption agencies have to be choosy about who they place these precious babies... but does being mentally ill and not having a job right now really mean that I would be any less of a good mother to a child? I dont think so.. but there are some.. many I would guess that do feel that way...

I know this post is angry, and hurtful in the way that it is written, but sometimes I really just dont know what to do with some feelings, and I had to vent somewhere.. where better than the good old world wide web. URGHHHHHHH

Sick

So I have nothing but time, sore time on my hands. So I shall blog...

Picture it, Friday before this... so the 15th.. Jim starts feeling icky.. sore all over... fever starts sunday.. take him to student health monday. They say its viral, take tylenol, claritin d and fluids etc. Ok, we go home, he starts that... Tuesday.. still fever, still sweats, still everything with the addition of sore throat and throwing up from coughing... yay.

Wed, thurs more of the same for Jimbo, worse feeling and worse.. so friday he tries to get an appt. Since everyone in vermillion and the tri state area is now sick, no appt. Nurse calls him in an antibiotic since he is coughing up so much ickiness.

Friday, I start to cough and etc... appt on saturday acute care... fun stuff

Need to mention that I have been to waLmart every day since monday, getting things for cough and cold and tp for blowing the noses etc...

Saturday.. we both sit in pain, and the only thing that seems to help is surfing the web to pass the time and get our minds off of it...

Sunday... I feel like crud, and jim still isnt much better. Add mucinex DM to the mix, and there is a funny scene with jim and I "doing drugs" in the kitchen... (using an inhaler that was part of the prescriptions we picked up) -- man bronchitis and whatever else this is that has a hold of us is powerful, and expensive! :)

Ok, so that is the update on the sick Chasse household. Ill update when I am feeling better... oh did I mention that the steroids and inhaler give me the jitters, thus the writing the blog so I am not just tapping my fingers? Ok.. later...

Angel.

Hello out there!

Here is my new email signature....

--From the desk of Angel Chasse

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."


What do you guys think?


What have we been up to? Not a lot going on. Read a book about the last days and Anna Nicole Smith. Interesting read for sure. I never know where all the facts come from in these types of books, so I dont know what to think.. but interesting for sure.

My brother's baby was born!!! She is so beautiful! I got to take lots of pictures of her last weekend so that was great :)

Jim is just now getting over being sick. They think it was Influenza, but the testing and medicines for that are only effective the first day or two of symptoms, so he had to just suffer and suffer and suffer.... urgh...

Going to start reading Alan Alda's book I think next. Thank goodness for the library, I could never afford all of these current books!

Valentine's Day with my sweetie was sweet, and we are both watching what we eat and tracking it on a neat site called www.sparkpeople.com and we even did pretty well health wise that day... (including 6 heart shaped sugar cookies we couldn't resist baking) :)

Next up for us is probably just resting and getting rid of these pesky germs that we have been picking up, and hoping for WAARRRRMMMMER weather!!! ((GLOBAL WARMING)) HA

I shouldn't leave so much time between blogging, so that I don't forget all of what I was going to say.... take care everyone reading :) (Shan,Trill, Dr Deb, Lu...special shout out to you guys) :)

Moving....is..not fun

So... we were in a pretty small one bedroom apartment. We love the area and the apartments.. so when we outgrew that apartment we decided to upgrade to the 2bdrm apartment in the same complex.

Here is the thing. I love love love this new bigger more spacious and roomy apartment. It is actually big enough that it looks like we don't own enough stuff to fill it. HA HA.. So, just to recap.. love the new apartment...

Now.. here is the thing. I am guessing here that most people do not enjoy the task of moving. I am ome of those people. I am, in fact, one of the people that HATES moving. That's right, I brought out the big guns, the "H word" I really do not at all enjoy the packing and touching every single thing you own... literally. I also do not like boxing it, carrying it to the van, and then unloading it into the new apartment... then you get to unpack it all... ick ick

But I am over that now. We are moved, and unpacked. In what feels like record time. So now to just find the things we need to "fill the place up" :)

Oh, and I might have forgotten to mention that is was the coldest weekend of the year while we were moving :) Of course. Of course.

Maybe we will just have to live in this apartment for the next 60 years.. lol. No more moving that way!

Ok, the moving rant is over now :)
Stay warm all!

Angel