Home Sweet Home

An obvious title of course...

Just before Lucas' first birthday Hubby and I started getting serious about house hunting.  And since I had been looking online for some time and we already new the area we were targeting it was easy to put some choices together for our Realtor to show us. 

We went one Sunday afternoon in October and looked at five houses.  The very first one we saw was the one I really really really wanted to see first - and it set the bar.  It was also the one we {I} fell in love with and had to have!

Hubby was back and forth a lot those past two months traveling for work, and he had to head out again shortly after our viewings.  We discussed the very real possibility that we wanted to put an offer on our Dream Home.  So with him away at work I went with my Realtor for a second viewing.  We went through the house for about two hours that time looking over everything {our agent is very thorough}.

It was a very great deal, with a lot of upgrades and a large lot.  Pretty much exactly everything we could ask for, the exception being an outdoor building for Hubby's race car.  Too bad.  We bought our very first home just for the garage.  This time around I got what I wanted.  :)

So of course we put in our offer and made some exchanges and finally clinched the house.  We went through the tedious paperwork for our lender and closing, etc.  Bah.

The week of Thanksgiving we closed, and by Black Friday we had moved in.

It was nice to be in our own home just in time for the Holidays.

 

Blood Drive as a "Short Timer"

I was able to finally give blood at work.  I usually try to as often as I can {ever since college}, and that only seems to be if my workplace is running the drive.  I never seem to be able to get to one anywhere else if it's during the work day -- I can't really afford to take the time off to do so.  And I don't usually find any drives close enough on the weekends.  That's the good thing about companies sponsoring them for their employees.

So, yeah, workplace blood drives are my best bet.  If your workplace does not currently sponsor blood drives at least once a year, I highly recommend you contact your HR department and make that suggestion.  It only benefits EVERYBODY.  And technically they should be able to run a drive every quarter, in line with how often a person should be able to donate.  How easy is that??

And I say "finally" because I haven't had the chance in nearly two years since my previous workplace.  I couldn't at all last year since I was pregnant.  And I'm just now getting around to it this year.

I feel like I have to get back into it and also pick up the slack from Hubby.  You see, he's Trypanophobic.  Haha.  BIG WORD.  I just learned it actually.  Googled "needle phobia" and yep, that's Hubby!  So since he is unwilling to give blood I need to give as often as I can. 



[ source ]



And of course, I sent the below picture of me to him just to tease him.  Unfortunately the lady wouldn't let me take a picture of her putting the needle in me to send to my husband -- because that's too mean.  Hehe.  So even without an actual needle shot I still got this response from Hubby, "Not funny! I just gagged a little."





I was the first Donation of the morning.
My "war wound"

I've also been called "Short Timer" a lot this week.  On account that it's my last few days working there.  All I can do it smile and nod.  Because yes.  I am a Short Timer.  :)

I hope my new workplace runs Blood Drives.  If not, I'll be contacting the HR department to encourage it.

Another thing: Giving blood is also on my 101 in 1001 list.  Another one to cross off.  :)  Woohoo!



http://www.redcrossblood.org/



Give Blood.  Find a Drive near You.

Afternoon Shoot, Duke Gardens

Another event for the second Photography Club I joined in the area.  {Another 101 in 1001.}

I've been to Duke Gardens once before.  It's where I had my Maternity Photos taken!

This time I got to run crazy and was able to do so being fifty pounds lighter.  :)  This place is HUGE with so much to see.  The first time around we were there for only an hour and only saw maybe a quarter of the gardens.  With it being Spring they have so many gorgeous spots that are photogenic.

And again I only walked around taking photos for an hour.  It was surprisingly hot.  I didn't see anything new from the last time.  I guess I'll just have to go back again.

Here are some of my favorites of 247 shots.  I had a lot of fun with the Sun this time and the way the light would shine.  Enjoy!

Evening Shoot, Downtown Raleigh

One of my goals for my 101 in 1001 is to Take a Photography Class.

Well, they cost money for some reason.  So until I find the right class I came across this site, MeetUp.com.  I had done yet another Google search for "photography clubs" in my area.  I found two!  And one was meeting up in Downtown Raleigh for an Evening/Night shoot.

I removed all photos from my Canon after making sure they had all been uploaded.  Packed up the camera bag and drove in rush hour traffic into Raleigh.  It really wasn't that bad of a drive, but still, 30 miles in one hour is ridiculous.  I arrived at my destination meeting at a local bar.  I made it early since I gave myself plenty of time and was the second one there, after the organizer.  

I had myself a beer (first one of my 50 New Beers goal!) and we waited for other arrivals.  We had a total of seven club members appear.  Then we were off to walk around the city!  Here are my best of the 219 photos I took.

Going on Nine Months of Discomfort

There are books that you just can't put down {The Hunger Games trilogy for example} and then there are books that you just struggle to get through.

On August 2, 2011 I purchased/downloaded a book to my Kindle, Home Improvement: Dead Edition by Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner, et al.  It's a collection of short stories from several authors selected by Charlaine and Toni.  I've read several other of their collections they have edited and enjoyed them very much.  However today is April 23, 2012 and I am only, at this very moment, 69% through this book.  That's nine months of uncomfortable and painful reading, not unlike the discomfort of a pregnancy.

I have been struggling terribly to get interested in this one.  I've gone back and forth between it and other novels.  I even started and completed a twenty book series since then.  It's my "filler" book I suppose.  When I had nothing else to read I would make myself read yet another short story.

I just don't know why it is.  Who am I kidding, of course I do.  I'm not a book critic by any means but I suppose I find the stories dry, or maybe just flat out don't care for some of the author's writing.  Aside from a few of the author's stories because they tie into other books I've read, like Charlaine's Sookie Stackhouse series.  Those, I remain interested in.  I even felt the need to write a brief review on Amazon for this book similar to what I've written here.

So now that I'm doing this 101 things in 1001 days list I am back into this book.  I am GOING to finish it!  It is my first book for the 50 that I plan on reading during this time frame; even though technically I started it way before my start date of this goal.  I already have my next book lined up in my Kindle that I downloaded earlier this month.  So I say, No more filler book!

Find it on Amazon.

75. Get my handwriting analyzed

101 Things in 1001 Days

I have to admit that when I first thought about doing this one I searched "Get my handwriting analyzed" online.  The first two site listings that I saw mentioned $300 and $290 for their analysis.  No way I'm paying $$ to complete a task in this challenge!  So then I re-searched as "Get my handwriting analyzed free" and got a hit.  I came across this site, The Hand Behind the Word. 

It lets you hand-write your own sample and self-evaluate.  Then they give you the results in a report.

Here is my Sample.

And here is the free report result of my self-evaluation from The Hand Behind the Word.

          You're at a place where you wouldn't really mind eeking out there a little more and making yourself more known and seen, but still you're not sure that the Patricia Newman you know is ready for the Grand Stage or the Big League of public attention. Your general outlook on life is positive and you tend to be optimistic. Do people ever say you're stiff and stoic? Is it hard for you to get a move on yourself when it comes to social situations? Seems you might want to loosen up a bit! Since you pretty much like to keep yourself the same most of the time, you're probably apt to be as approachable at any give time as you would any other.

          Lone Rangers often keep a bit of distance between themselves and others. Do you ever hear people define Patricia Newman as a Lone Ranger? Or is it that you're more of what some might define as "a creative force of the next generation!" Either way, you don't mind straying from that straight and narrow path, shall we say, so you get good marks for originality! I guess that you must be something of a sentimentalist, eh? Do people ever say, "Oh, yeah: Patricia Newman can really be an old softie sometimes! A real kind soul." But then, this can get you into trouble sometimes, too, though, because you can have a difficult time saying "No!" and can feel guilty for not being All things to All People!!You likely tend to be a quite quiet person and don't like to rock the boat. You probably are a careful reader, and don't like to jump to conclusions about anything.

Yes, I have to admit I had to look up what "eeking" meant.  Altogether, I guess it's pretty accurate.  If you know me would you say so?