Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering??

...so says Brain to Pinky before every one of his fanatical plots to take over the world.  Did you ever watch Pinky and the Brain?  I loved that show.  I kinda feel like them to crazy lab rats sometimes.  They run around with a crazy plan to accomplish the impossible.  Once Brain said, "This is the earth. And this is Pinky. You can tell the difference quite easily. One is a lump of inert matter hurtling blindly through the void. The other... is the earth."  Right now I feel like Pinky in this quote.  I don't know what the future will bring for my husband and I and our two dogs, and although it may seem exciting to some people, it's also quite frightening.  I have been working full time for the last month as a co-worker recovers from cancer.  She is an amazing woman, and I know that if I were in her shoes I could not be as strong and courageous as she has been.  Fingers crossed, she will be back to work after next week, and I.....well.... I will be back to my 8 hours a week.  There haven't been as many opportunities as I had hoped for here when I graduated from dental hygiene school.  I was confident that I would move back to Idaho and be employed very quickly, but that hasn't been the case.  Jake has been wanting to move to Oregon for quite some time now, so I have been checking the job boards for dental hygiene jobs there.  It seems like there are always jobs being posted there, a stark contrast to southeast Idaho.  So last week I applied for a license in Oregon, and once it goes through (assuming it does!!) I will start to apply for jobs there and see what the future has in store.  Can anybody make me feel better about this?  Because I really don't want to move....but I do really want to help out with the finances.  The Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but if they called them "sad meals" no one would buy them."

Happy 2011!!

Happy 2011!! Jake and I rang in the new year with our great friends Chris and Patti.  I have some memorable pictures on my phone, but I am struggling to figure out how to transfer said pics to my new laptop.  So I guess I will just keep them all to myself.  This year I have decided to do new year's resolutions.  And in order to try to hold myself more accountable, I will post them on this blog for literally anyone in the world to read.  I only have three, and they probably sound typical, but I really want to try to actually accomplish these things this year.

1. Work out more.  Notice that I didn't commit to every day or a certain amount of time per day.  Such restrictions would definately hamper any progress.  I have an eliptical machine downstairs, so there is no excuse for me to not be getting on that at least a couple of days a week.  I bought stickers today to put on my calender every time I get on this or exercise so I can keep track of my progress.

2.  Floss.  I know half of you are screaming "WHAT?!?!?! AREN'T YOU A DENTAL HYGIENIST?!?!?"  Correct, my friends.  I am a dental hygienist that is well aware of the sheer havoc that not flossing is doing to my teeth.  And yes, I do tell my patients that they should be flossing every day.  I admit it.  I am a hypocrite.  Which is why I really want to try to tackle this resolution this year.  I also bought stickers for this on my calender.  Hopefully I will soon see at least one sticker every day for flossing, and at least a couple of times a week for exercising.

3.  Be a better wife.  I don't know how to explain how I will accomplish this.  Because I don't really know.  I do most (or all) of the cleaning of the house and the dishes, and I do all the laundry, but I never EVER cook dinner.  My wonderful chef (aka Jake, my husband), does ALL the cooking.  He's good at it.  But I don't know if it's always fair for him.  So tonight actually I am making dinner.  I'm cheating a lot (I got a frozen lasagna at the store), but it's a step towards this resolution.  This summer I want to be a better wife by keeping up the yard better too.  It's kind of embarrassing to look out the window and see the neighbor mowing your lawn for you.  On the other hand, I think Kevin and his dad like the little goodies I take over there when I catch them doing this.  But that still doesn't make it right.

Those are my resolutions for 2011.  I'm trying to make a better me.  And that's what it is all about!!