mandaloo . com

jeromy and i have started a family blog…

http://lackeyantics.blogspot.com/

don’t know what this ultimately means for mandaloo.com… we’ve talked for a while about ditching individual blogs and going to a combined site for a while. don’t know if i’ll keep this one for things pertaining to me directly or not. at any rate, i’m digging blogspot and anticipate that i’ll be updating that site more frequently than this one.

i saw the following 2008 “review” on ann’s blog and liked it so much that i decided to copy it for mandaloo.com…

HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR?
getting married to the most amazing friend, comedian, and companion in the world.

LOW POINT OF THE YEAR?
seeing someone i love hurt and losing trust in individuals.

LESSON LEARNED THIS YEAR?
many lessons learned this year but the one that was a theme is an oldie: actions speak louder than words.

BEST HOLIDAY?
i always love christmas time and it will probably always win hands down. i was sick but it was still nice to celebrate it in our home this year.

SONG FOR 2008?
“Collide” by Howie Day

BEST MOVIE OF 2008?
the dark knight totally rocked

BEST BOOK OF 2008?
i don’t read. it’s sad and i’m not proud of it, but jeromy and i have been reading the new testament every night for a good while now. does the bible count?

BEST TV SHOW OF 2008?
the shield kept me on the edge of my seat this year. sad that the series ended.

ANY REGRETS?
working too much and not taking a trip this year.

BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR?
probably some recent ones involving getting back to church and realigning other important priorities.

BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR?
many changes this year – settling into a house, getting married, becoming a two dog household…

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR?
big picture: improving spiritually, physically, etc. and preparing for a family.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR?
work less. spend more time with my spouse (sitting in the living room working on photo edits/work doesn’t count). spend more time with my family. go on a trip. continue to be active in church and grow spiritually with jeromy. save money. cook more (and get better at it as a result). plan/prepare for a family. increase my knowledge about photography and lighting techniques.

it’s been a good year, but it’s had its share of low points and mistakes. i’m looking forward to 2009 and the exciting things it will bring. i got wrapped up in some things this year that took my eye off from what really matters. and it’s been only in the last month or so that i’ve kinda reclaimed myself. just the baby steps in the past few weeks have resulted in some great improvements and buckets of peace. stoked for 2009? you bet.

happy new year.

i wrote to a coworker this morning… “we made it!” i (along with others) have been looking forward to this time off for months. there is a lot on my “to do” list during this break, not to mention christmas. i’m loving it. tonight, we’re getting together with the group of friends we always hang out with and are doing dinner at chili’s and then heading back to the house to give out some gifts.

sadly enough, i woke up with a super sore throat and drainage to boot. i’ve been trying to be quiet today, as it hurts to talk. and it has proven to be a difficulty… i like to talk a lot. decongestants don’t seem to be working all that well. i’m planning to take some strong stuff before bed tonight… i am hoping that it will kick this stuff in the pants and i’ll wake up feeling super good in the morning. *crosses fingers*

tomorrow, we are cleaning the house and getting things ready for christmas. in the evening, my family and a couple of church missionaries are coming over for dinner and gifts. it’s going to be a lot of fun. the evening is going to kick off a lot later than what we thought originally due to my brother’s work schedule, but we’ll do what we can. on christmas day, jeromy’s family are coming over. we’re going to try to make it over to my mom’s in the evening to say hello.

been feeling emotionally good lately. jeromy and i have been following through on some goals and i see some light at the end of the tunnel. i’m totally excited for next year and the good things it will bring.

i love this time of year. i’m so grateful for my savior, jesus christ, and all of the blessings that i get to enjoy because of his sacrifice. more than anything, i’ve been trying to put some thought into what this christmas means to me. and it all boils down to one word… hope. because of christ, we silly humans can have hope that we can pick ourselves up and be better. even if we’ve fallen off our horse or it seems like the world is too much… there is hope. there is a way to be lifted up and become something more awesome than we have ever fathomed. within our grasp is a most desirable love and buckets full of blessings. i am so terribly flawed and fall short in so many ways. but i have hope because of a babe who was laid in a manger who came here to conquer it all… for me. and that is certainly some good tidings of great joy.

merry (early) christmas.

it’s been a while (like over a month) since i’ve done a real blog post. not much has changed. i did have my birthday in late november and am a year older. it was a splendid birthday … probably one of the best i’ve had in a while. jeromy arranged for me to get a 80 minute deep tissue massage at the red door spa, took me out to lunch, bought me a sephora gift card, sent me an orchid at work, and arranged dinner at on the border for all of our friends. i felt very well taken care of and pampered. he’s the best husband ever. my sweet dee-dee crocheted a tree skirt for me, which looks awesome under our tree. i know it is something that i will treasure for years. mom was super thoughtful and got me giant bottles of lotion and shower gel in my favorite scent (amazing grace). lori couldn’t make the dinner, but sent some fantastic red jewelry (which i’ve already worn several times) and a great light. the presents were awesome but it was even better to be able to spend my birthday with friends and spend some time with those closest to me.

thanksgiving came later that week. jeromy and i went to mom’s house for the day. we brought a turkey and i helped with getting some things ready (although mom handled most of the actual cooking). but it was nice to be in the kitchen with her while daddy and jeromy spent time in the backyard in the shed. food and relaxation was the theme. we went to garden ridge late at night to take advantage of the christmas decoration sales.

we did something awesome-o thanksgiving weekend. we bought a new mattress and bed. our mattress was horrible and was bothering our backs. we could feel the springs and would wake up feeling like we had been beat up every morning. the bed was on sale on black friday, so it was mom’s early christmas gift to us. it’s made the biggest difference and is probably one of the smartest things we’ve done all year.

the house is all decorated for christmas. i loooove our christmas tree and jeromy did an amazing job on the lights outside. it’s great to have this first christmas as a married couple and to get our home set up. we’re going to be having my family over on christmas eve and jeromy’s family over on christmas day. it should be fun and i’m looking forward to the holiday. we’ve been doing a semi-good job on shopping. there are some neat gifts that we are getting. shopping for gifts is one of my most favorite things to do.

last weekend, jeromy and i met up with my family and we adopted an angel from the salvation army tree. it was a super fun night and it was neat to be able to do something like that. by putting together all of our money, we were able to get some great gifts for our angel. after the gifts were turned in, we ate at freebirds (one of my new favorite spots).

jeromy has been really sick. like really really sick. even when he doesn’t feel good, he still functions and goes on his way. but he’s been unable to do pretty much anything. he went to the doctor last week and got medicine, but it’s not helping at all. i have been battling getting sick all week. every morning i wake up feeling like crap. i battle it all day long, feel decent in the evening, and then go to bed only to get in the same cycle all over again. i hope he gets to feeling better soon so that he can enjoy christmas and our time off together.

we’re canceling our cruise. jeromy and i are still going to take some time off so that we’re out of town and making positive memories for our anniversary (i refuse to be at or around the house on march 1), but it just won’t be on a cruise ship. we never really got a honeymoon and it’s becoming more and more crucial that we both unplug for a week and spend some real time together. there are (hopefully) going to be some big/good changes for us next year. we’re going to pay debt off and slow down our lives. slow down A LOT. neither jeromy or i can keep up the pace that we’ve had in 2008. i thought i could balance it all, but i can’t, and the effects have been all too prevalent in the last few months. it’s been a rough year and we don’t get to spend the type of time together that we would like. i’m always working. even when i’m at home, i’m not really at home. between my job and red brick, i’ve let a lot of things go in my life. it’s all my doing, and i’m not whining, but there have been some wake up calls that are forcing me to align my actions with my priorities. we’ve been getting back to church, making time to read scriptures, spending more time with family, eating at home more, etc. we probably won’t feel the total effects of slowing down until after next spring due to commitments i’ve already made, but at least we’re making a plan. we’re both excited to see the fruit of these changes and shifts. it’s going to take some sacrifices and hard work to make big changes, but they will be well worth it.

that’s about it for now. i’m stoked to get this week over with… it’s the last full week for the year! i’m taking christmas eve through new years off… rawk. a week and a half to finish setting up house, catch up on edits, and relax. sa-weet!

Dear Ting Tings,

Your infectious beats and colorful musics make my soul smile and body wiggle. In fact, every single time I hear “Great DJ,” I have to move my torso and bob my head in an uncoordinated way that only clumsy white girls can. And this is great and all… until a senior staff member walks by my office and catches me mid-bob. The clearing of throat and quick glance to the floor immediately after was just a nice way to try to ignore that he didn’t just see what he just saw. So, thanks, Ting Tings. Utter embarrassment and red faces will abound in offices around the world as long as you keep up the great work.

Love,
Mandaloo

as of late:

* my new vice in life is chocolate ice cream with gummy bears on top. granted – i’ve only had this combination three times in the last two months, but still – oh my gosh. num num num. i need to watch it or else my hips will explode more than they have been. i’ve actually been cutting my portions, watching what i’m eating, and have been trying to be more active to lose weight and have not seen a result. it’s time to take it up a notch.

* buying good knee high rubber boots for work that are comfortable is now an important goal. just walked a good chunk of the day in my uncomfy ones and am paying for it. i think my feet are going to fall off. also think there is something wrong with my feet… my heels hurt all the time and i wake up in the morning with my heels feeling like there is something stabbing them. not good.

* holiday vacations are the only thing keeping me going these days. months of working two jobs has finally caught up with me and i’m feeling emotional and physical fatigue like never before. a five day weekend around thanksgiving and a week and a half off around christmas will (hopefully) rejuvenate me.

* i am the most fortunate girl in the world to be married to jeromy. man, he’s such a super husband. i could brag on him for days. he is my world and i’d be a pitiful ball of pajamas rocking back and forth in a corner without his support and patient thoughts. we have vowed that we need to start making time in both of our schedules for fun things again. he had to work last weekend and will work next weekend, too. most of my weekends are crazy busy and i think i have one open weekend for the rest of 2008. but even on a daily basis, i’m reminded that things don’t always have to be serious… jeromy has been and continues to be a ray of light. ever since the day i met him, even my worst days aren’t all that bad.

* god rocks. even though i’ve been a total slacker and don’t always do what i need to do, i still get “post it notes” from god that remind me that i’m cared for on a personal level. i feel his great unconditional love and have been motivated to get back on the horse so that i’m focusing on the proper priorities in life. jeromy and i are going through the new testament and i’ve been reminded of some important truths.

* the shield only has two more episodes to go. both jeromy and i are a bit bummed to see our favorite tv show go off air. but it’s getting good and i know that for the next two weeks, we’ll be on the edge of our seats to see how it all goes down.

* i’m getting slightly (okay, majorly…) stoked that it’s a matter of weeks before christmas music is on the radio. totally one of my favorite things in the world is the approaching season and a lot of it has to do with the tunes i get to hear. i think “o holy night” is probably my fav.

* the fact that my basset hounds snore like humans cracks me up.

* i think i could live on turkey sandwiches. i never get sick of them. but funny enough… i really don’t like turkey on thanksgiving all that much. strange?

with the election being over, my feelings have been mixed. while i don’t post often about politics, it is important enough to me that i try to keep up and read about what is going on. and when i don’t, my highly political family keeps me afloat on what is going on.

with the election season that has passed, it is clear that nobody likes what has been going on with the current administration. there is frustration for valid reasons for many groups of people. the present has made us hungry – starving, even – for change. but just because something is a “change” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right direction. if i’m traveling north and all of a sudden, i turn 180 degrees and start heading south, and my destination is west, i’ve still missed my mark. i feel like some people lost sight of this and didn’t look at the big picture.

opinions will vary and people have differing arguments. and that’s awesome – that’s what keeps us moving as a country. it’s what keeps us accountable. i love healthy discussions about what motivations and strategies others may have and the practicalities behind them. but i continually got annoyed when i would talk to some people about their choice candidate and all they could say is that they wanted something different than bush and knew nothing about the platform they supposedly supported. i’d bring up a topic and they’d have no knowledge about what i was talking about. better yet – i love the people who take the “well that doesn’t apply to ME” approach when discussing tax brackets and other issues. i don’t mind when well-informed opinions are molded and happen to differ with mine. but ignorance guided with shallow rhetoric or trivial reasons absolutely digs under my skin. too much of this year has smacked of a popularity contest.

on the upside, i’m completely delighted that people went out and voted in record numbers. it shows participation on some level and i hope that awareness and involvement won’t disappear as the “i voted” stickers make their way into trashcans, bottoms of purses, and couch cushions across the country.

it’s also cool that our future president is a man who happens to be african american. it’s a notable milestone in history and a symbol of progress. think of how many people that are alive and fought through the civil rights movement that would have never dreamed they would see an african american president. it’s inspiring and a great example for younger generations. it’s history.

i think barack obama is an intriguing guy. his public speaking skills are top notch and his energy is infectious. and i think there is merit to the hope that he speaks of. i agree that our nation has the potential to be much better than what it is. but i’m just not sold on some of the topics that have come up lately.

there’s been a lot of time spent on discussing opportunity. and how all americans need the same chances. and that sounds great when you first hear it. why wouldn’t we all want the same things? wouldn’t it be nice if we were all educated, had health care, etc.? but what a lot of people don’t get is that throwing money and/or programs at the problem is not going to fix anything.

it may not be politically correct, but some people are lazy and lack ambition. (and before i get on my soapbox, i’m not talking about disabled, elderly, etc. groups here – i’m referring to able-bodied people with no major physical or psychological issues.) others make decisions that impede their ability to achieve goals. and that’s not the government’s problem… nor should it be. this notion of “everyone who wants to go to college should be able to go” is a bunch of bull. there is nothing stopping most anyone from getting an education. most excuses can be overcome through hard work and wise decisions. my parents didn’t pay for my school – like a lot of people out there, i got my degree through holding a steady job, earning scholarships, and taking out loans (notice the verbs – none of which include expecting the government to foot the bill for me). it was hard and it wasn’t fun (to this day, i don’t know why people call college the “best years”)- but i put myself through and am receiving rewards of that effort. if i had involved myself in substance abuse or premarital relations that could have resulted in a baby or any other type of distraction (unwillingness to study, debt, etc.), it could and probably would have had a profound effect on my goal of completing college. but yet again – that’s not the government’s problem. some poor taxpayer should not have to pay for my mistakes or lack of desire to complete a goal.

even if the government paid for every kid to go to college, it wouldn’t help. think of our K-12 system now – we still have kids failing, dropping out, etc. just because you send someone to school doesn’t mean they will put forth their part and complete their studies. i knew tons of kids in college who had parents who paid for their education – we’re talking about dorm, books, tuition, food – everything. they didn’t have jobs… school was their job. and i was amazed to find that many of them failed classes, didn’t complete school, and/or took 5+ years to do so. it was during those hard four years that i realized firsthand that unless one earns something, it is not valued. if people don’t value something, throwing money at the problem will not help. it’s a waste – people who want to better their lives and make things happen find a way to do it.

this point is further illustrated by hurricane katrina. a horrible event just took out the louisiana coast – you have people who lost everything. when these same people were given debit cards with money from the government, there were many stories of individuals who bought plasma tvs, video games, went to strip clubs, etc. and blew the entire balance of the card! free handouts are not a solution to many of the problems we have today.

there’s been this overused phrase of “spreading the wealth” during the election season. and while it may have been a bit blown out of proportion and overused, the concept is clear from obama. there is going to be further pressures on those deemed “wealthy.” and while the tax bracket of “wealthy” is nowhere near my reach, this concept has my attention (unlike many who dismiss what is about to happen since it “doesn’t apply to me”… pff). i wouldn’t be surprised if the “you’re too wealthy” line shifts, as it has done with certain political figures in the past, but that’s besides the point.

i don’t mind that there are some people who get paid a butt load of money – much to many people’s disbelief, most have worked hard for it and made wise decisions/sacrifices in their life to get to that point. there are some very well paid people in my company – but they are the type of people that go out and win work so that peeps like me have a job. and that’s great – pay them well. i want those types of people to stick around and do what they do. i want successful men and women to continue to be motivated to run companies, win work, come up with new ideas, etc. people should not be punished for excelling at what they do. doing so would just promote a message of mediocrity.

already, the wealthiest people (top 10%) pay right under 70% of our taxes. i can’t even wrap my brain around that. this demographic is already paying more than their fair share – and we’re going to go after them even more? there are some major issues with this notion. let’s take this new-found villain…this so-called evil rich person who hoards all their money and doesn’t care about the little guy. do you really think that when the pinch is felt, that it is going to provoke him/her to change his/her lifestyle to make up the difference? no. it’s going to mean that their employees aren’t going to get raises that year or that some other adjustment is going to be made so that they can still buy a yacht next spring (because every rich person has a yacht, right?… right?). and that’s not good for the country. the pinch will be passed around. take another situation where you have a married couple who both bring in a good amount of money – just to stick with stereotypes, let’s have the man be a lawyer and the woman be a doctor. if you bring the hammer down on them too much, it won’t take long before there is a diminishing rate of return on what they earn and one of them will eventually stop and go, “what am i doing working so hard for when i’m not getting the reward?” and will quit to get under a different bracket. and that does nothing to help progression.

the last thing we need are handouts and programs. we need accountability in our country. we need to understand that we can succeed by the efforts of our own hands and that accomplishment is derived from our actions. we need to vow that we’re not going to continue to cater to illegal aliens and continue stacking up freebies and incentives for them to come and stay in the country. it’s ridiculous that US citizens to have to wait on a necessary procedure due to financial reasons and that an illegal alien can have free health care (this topic could be a post by itself all together). we need to have some moral fiber and just simply say that some things are wrong and should not be permitted. we need to come to terms with the fact that life decisions have consequences and that it’s not the government’s job to be our safety net.

there are other things that are nagging at me right now – discussions about the government putting their fingers in the 401(k) pie, the health care system, etc. but i don’t want to beat my own dead horse.

no matter who won, i think i would have the uneasiness i feel now (although the degrees would have varied). i’m not scared or experiencing irrational anxiety bc of the election or anything, but i do have my eyes open. oh yes – change is going to come. i just hope that it’s worth the price we might have to pay. obama is equipped with the all the right tools (democratic congress, etc.) to implement his platform. i’m semi comforted that government is still government – mostly slow and inefficient. i know stressing about tuesday’s outcome will not accomplish anything and it’s silly for anyone to do so. but that doesn’t mean that we should turn our attention away from washington now that the polls are closed. some silver linings include that environmental regs will probably tighten up, which benefits our natural resources and my job security. heh. i think obama means well and isn’t some evil dude out to get us. maybe he really does think that everyone works hard and values the same things – in which case, his ideas make some sense. i’ve just seen enough examples of society to know better.

yet another busy busy weekend. on friday (halloween), we had our living room and hallway floors redone. see below for the before and after…

the people did a great job and we are tickled pink with the results. i think bacon and turco miss having soft spots everywhere to lie down – they have bee keeping to their beds in the living room as a result. lazy dogs.

while the floor was being laid, we headed out and voted. there was no line so we were in and out pretty quick. kind of like my mom, i don’t feel like i really voted “for” the candidate i selected in the booth, it was more that i was voting against the other.

jeromy and i bought like 4 or 5 bags of candy in preparation for trick-or-treaters. at the last minute, we even threw up some spider web stuff. nina, sarge, and neo all came over and we watched the stars game and played rock band. as for the trick-or-treaters… i think the doorbell rang all of four times. one of those times was jeromy’s family that came by before they headed on to irving. kaitlyn (niece) was a devil, ethan (nephew) was the emperor of evil, and joshua (nephew) was a pirate. stephanie and susan joined in on the fun and were scary monster things.

on saturday, we had our carpet power stretched, since all of the remaining rooms with carpet had bubbles in them. they guy was super nice and the carpet looks better now. i went to a baby shower that afternoon – it was sweet to see all the baby stuff. the shower was for my former-coworker’s daughter, jennifer. i’ve know their family for a long time now and it’s such a blessing to see all the great milestones that they are hitting. after the shower, jeromy and i spent a little bit of time with his family. then – i found out my cousin, kristina, who i don’t get to see often, was in town, so jeromy and i met up with her and her fiance, thomas. it was great to meet him (seems like a great guy – i’m happy for her) and spend time with her. they are getting married next october in austin, so that’s cool.

today, jeromy woke up with a sore throat, so that prevented church attendance. i’ve been home taking advantage of the down time and got out a set of engagements. i’m so behind on all of my photo work – i really need to focus and get weddings and e-sessions done.

anyhoo, it’s been quite the exciting couple of days. i’m looking forward to a prodcutive november and am excited that thanksgiving and christmas are around the corner!