MerrinDonahue.com

Well, at least Kevin can. My time in Watauga is officially over, and I am back home (at least for a little while). I was invited to go to Napa in three weeks, but I have a feeling that Kevin won’t be too happy with that arrangement, so it looks like I’ll be staying in the area.
We actually got to go to the grocery store today, and since I only worked for 5 hours, it was almost like having a whole day off, which has been a rarity in these parts for the last month. I’m also off tomorrow, which means that my house will finally get to be cleaned.
Happy Monday to everybody! Have a great week!

It seems that we may have a slight conflict. Apparently, St. Jimmy has decided to come to town on my birthday. Now, under normal circumstances, this would be a non-issue. However, as are planning a trip to Ireland, it seems there is a decision to be made.
Kevin seems to think that the concert is a bigger deal. Fortunately, many of you disagree. So I offer up the following solution: concert on Saturday, catch a flight across the pond on Sunday. Whaddya think?

In my never-ending quest of what to fix for dinner (especially for a picky husband), I came across this. Divided into 3 sections (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced), these online cooking videos are a tremendous help to both the culinarily challenged, as well those of us who sometimes need a quick refresher. After all, it’s not everyday you have to bone a chicken. Heh heh. I said bone.

I am now officially recharged and ready for work tomorrow. I went out with the girls on Friday night, and we spent last night with C,J, Shelby, and company.
This morning, Kevin was feeling….ahem…..less than chipper. I’m sure this is in no way related to the amount of beer consumed at the Coopers, but I could be mistaken. So, in an effort to make him feel a little more human, I fixed a yummy dinner that was all about comfort foods. I made fried chicken tenders, cheesy cornbread, and we’re having milkshakes for dessert (get your mind out of the gutter, Josh). We have plenty of leftovers, if anyone out there wants ’em!
Tomorrow, it’s back to the grind, but I sure did have a fantastic weekend with friends and family.

I just want to take a minute and say a HUGE Thank You to Camille and Josh. You guys are awfully nice.
You see, they sent us “fence mail” tonight (we sometimes exchange items over the back fence, in lieu of making the trip around the block). Tonight, however, Camille handed us dinner over the 6-foot fence. I’ve been working crazy-long days, and I haven’t been home to fix dinner for Kevin. By the time I do make it home, I’m too tired to do anything more than take a shower to wash off the grime and collapse on the couch.
Last night, the Coopers knocked on our door to see if we would like to join them for dinner, but I had somehow managed to rustle up some chili dogs.
Tonight was a different story. I walked in the door at 7:35, after yet another 12 hour day. I was fully planning on going to bed hungry, because I lacked the energy to fix myself dinner. Just then, a fantastic Baked Ziti floated over my fence and into my husband’s hands.
What I’m trying to say is this: Thanks, guys. You humble me with your generosity. I hereby volunteer for any and all babysitting duty, and you should also know that I’m totally cooking for y’all for the whole first month you’re home with Mini.

Yes, it’s true. I get to sleep in tomorrow morning! I don’t have to get out of bed until 6:15!!!!! What’s more, we have the best friends/neighbors ever. C&J came by tonight to check on us and offer us some of Josh’s home cooking. Thanks, guys. I hope y’all know that we’re here for whatever you guys need, whenever you need it.

That’s how many emails I had in my Inbox. This does not include the spam. I think I just realized how truly out of touch I’ve been this past week. The good news is that after a 13 hour day tomorrow, things should start to calm down a little bit (there’s even a rumor of having next weekend off!). Hooray! I did have a much-needed day off today, however, and I even managed to cook dinner.
C&J were kind enough to have us over for dinner on Friday, and I’m pretty sure a whole cow was offered up as a sacrifice to our (well, ok, my appetite. Unfortunately, I had to work yesterday, which puts this week’s total at around 70 hours. Today was fantastic, though, and it included a nice nap. I fixed breakfast for Kev, did the dishes, then crashed for about an hour. Then it was to my base store to check in, then the grocery, then here for this, this, and this.
Yes, it’s true: My replacement addiction is FoodTV. More specifically, it’s 30 Minute Meals. There are worse things, right?
Finally, Kevin and I got to enjoy a night out last night, which was nice. I feel like I haven’t seen him in forever. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like if I had decided to stay in corporate housing instead of commuting. The upside is that we had a whole lot to talk about over the last two days, although I’ve kept track of how many times he’s referenced the dump in his conversation. Did he happen to mention his new hard hat? 😉
I know this is long and rambling, but if you’ve managed to keep your boat steady in this stream of conciousness, I applaud you. Besides, it’s probably all you’re gonna get for the next few days.

On top of the extreme pain (but I mean extreme in a good way), I have discovered that I have absolutely no friggin’ idea what’s going on in the world. Today, I had to ask somebody not only what the date was, but what day it was. I haven’t read any news in four days, I have only taken time to watch American Idol (come on, I’m pretty sure it’s essential to my very existence), I still haven’t seen The Sopranos, and it’s only Day 3. I was planning to do a little catching up on my day off, but it turns out I don’t have one. Still and all, though, it’s kind of nice to be insulated from the world for a little while. It takes away the sense of social responsibility, and besides, I’m not around anyone who knows anymore than I do about current events, so it’s not like it would be a conversation piece.
So forgive me if I seem a little disconnected. I promise I’m still thinking about everyone, it’s just that my fingers are sore. And my back. And my legs. And my arms. Have a great week, everybody!

And, no, not in the dirty way. You see, I totally asked for what I got. I signed up to be a part of a hit team that goes in and sets up new stores (it’s not a big secret that I work in retail, but ever since I left the bookstore, I tend to keep my actual place of employment private). Today was the first day of the set, and I always seem to forget how tiring it is. Today, I actually received the award for the person who got the dirtiest. By the time I got home, I was covered from head to toe in grit, grime, sweat, and good old fashioned dirt. Damn, it was fun.
The bad news is that tomorrow morning, upon awakening, I will feel every box of those 75 pallets. Every cut and scrape will sing with pain. And then I’ll get up and do it all again. Every day for the next three weeks.
The sad thing is, I really, really, really love this part of my job. What’s wrong with me?

We’re spending the evening with some very cool people. I think Kevin may be headed to the liqour store for mojito fixin’s….

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good day. I finally got a good night’s sleep last night, Kev is heading home early (hooray!), the storm yesterday didn’t do any(more) damage to our fences, and I just saw the Flower Mound Code Enforcement car pull away from our neighbor’s house.
I think I’ll go get my hair cut and do a little shopping today. Yeah, I really loathe both of those activities, but I figure I’m in a good enough mood to endure them.
Happy Friday, everybody!

Y’all get tired of hearing it, but I’m going to say it again anyway:

I love my husband. Kudos to him for hanging in there. He gives me the strength to face each new day, and I wouldn’t be who I am without him. Sure, I give him grief for “slacking off” every once in a while, but, the truth is, when he makes a commitment, he sticks to it, no matter what.
Not only am I a better person for having him in my life, but I could never have achieved what I have without his love and support.
Go, get ’em, baby. You’re the best.

There was this. And God said, “Let them make the movie anyway. Free Speech, Free Will, and all that. Yada yada yada.”
And it was, if not good, at least passable, and possibly an Oscar contender (okay, maybe not next year’s Best Picture, but surely nominated in some lesser category like Sound Editing).
On the second day, God said, “Come see the movie, but don’t be disrespecting me with your Tub-O-Popcorn and your Vat-O-Coke.”
So, millions flocked to a theatre near them (not unlike locusts). Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard as eager moviegoers purchased their tickets. Lo, they were much afraid.
It seems that maybe, in fact, God is tryin’ to tell you somethin’.