Sick

I think I chose tonight to blog so I don't spend the rest of my evening thinking about how my throat hurts and how my nose won't stop running. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a great immune system. I think the last time I was truly sick like this was about 3 years ago. Occasionally I get a bad headache or a little bug but this stupid sickness has been going since Saturday evening... I'm pretty sure I got this sickness from my adorable niece, Adalyn.. She is way too cute not to hug and kiss on even if she is a little sickie.. I stole a picture from my sister-in-law Heather from Adalyn's first birthday so everyone can see exactly how cute she is and why I would risk sickness to love on her.

I'm pretty sure she is pondering how cute she is in this picture.. I can't say I blame her, flaunt what you got girlfriend.

Back to my sickness.. I am such a big baby when I am sick.. I kind of remind myself of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.. I secretly want Penny to come and sing Soft Kitty to me.. Curt can try I guess but I doubt it would be very good.. He is a little sickly too so we currently suck as a household.. I think it is times like today which I really wish I had my Mommy here to beckon to my every need.. I don't know how moms do it honestly.. The thought of dealing with snotty, pukey kids doesn't sound fun at all.. I don't even like dealing with Curt when he is a sick puppy boy (don't tell him this if you see him because he isn't to know and he is forbidden from reading this blog... This may be a test to see if he is indeed reading.....)

I called in sick today for work and was at my desk at approximately 9:43 AM.. I wasn't there because my work made me or because I felt miraculously better or because I couldn't not think about all the insurance policy holders in the world... No, I was there because I am probably the lamest person on earth.. Each day while I work I imagine myself sleeping in my bed.. I imagine being curled up until noon everyday and having the rest of the day to do whatever.. Well today I had the whole day to do whatever and couldn't think of anything else except work and how boring my house is by myself at the crack of 8am today.. I had about 20,000 ughs before I finally got out of bed and told God that I was angry at him for making me be a good employee.. I made it through the day somehow but cursed myself every minute for not taking advantage of my day at home.. How did I become a 24 year old duck who can't spend a whole work day in bed even when I feel like death? I think this is a sign of aging..... This and my watching Dateline.. I watched a Dateline on Sunday about how people's kids reacted to certain situation.. I imagined my fake kids in every situation and it dawned on me that the kids at the show were like 17 and instead of thinking about myself at 17 I was thinking about my imaginary children at 17.. I have offically crossed the barrier of not being able to associate myself with teenagers... I am not sure to say a little prayer or cry.. It probably depends on the day..

Anywho, I guess the moral of the blog is being sick is no fun.. Being sick thinking about work is no fun either.... Being sick and not having a mommy to take care of you is no fun either...... Being sick and not having anyone to sing Soft Kitty is not the best either.. For everyone who doesn't have Penny to sing Soft Kitty, this one is for you...

Softy Kitty,

Warm Kitty,

Little Ball of Fur,

Happy Kitty,

Sleep Kitty,

Purr, Purr, Purr...

*Yawn* I am feeling sleepy and better already... I hope everyone has a nice week! As always thanks for reading and Go Cards!

H

Hollywood

Hello all! Happy less than two weeks until May.. Goodness Gracious where does time go? It feels like yesterday I was just on here blogging about my love for March and now we have another M month approaching us.. I can't say I have many complaints today as the Cardinals are winning, Blues are winning and the weather is PERFECT here.. 70 degrees and beautiful here in central Missouri.. I'm a little nervous that the weather is too perfect right now.. Either we are going to get killed soon with snow or extreme heat. This is the joy of living in Missouri.. You never know what weather to expect any day.. Oh well, enough about the weather.. Let's just into today's blog topic-Hollywood..

Random fact about this duck-I love, love Hollywood. I obsess over TMZ, US Weekly and E! everyday. I love to keep up with what is happening with the celbs. I know this is probably crazy but I have always enjoyed keeping up with the gossip. I've always thought it would be fun to live in the world as a famous person where everyone knew me and wanted a picture with me. I would so do one of those cheesy reality T.V. shows where a camera person follows me around except no one would want to watch my show. I don't think people would watch a tv show of a girl creeping on TMZ and trying to be in bed by 10 PM.. Basically, I am an old working person who does not live in an exciting life but one can dream right?!

Part of following Hollywood is being able to know what music, movies and tv shows they are talking in the media so I make this my excuse for watching as much tv as I do.. :) I was in the bathtub today thinking about to write in my blog (I told you all my ideas come while soaking in the bathtub) and it dawned on me, I had to use all the time I have watched tv productively and write about my favorite tv shows of the past and now.. Hopefully it will be a little trip down memory lane for people or maybe I was a weirdo and didn't watch any of the favorite tv shows of my friends.. We will see :)

The prettiest little girl on earth, my niece Adalyn, loves Elmo or Lala as she calls it. It seems that most little kids now love Elmo, Big Bird or Seasme Street or some sort. I really do not remember watching Seasme Street as a kid. I always knew what it was but I don't think my siblings or I really cared about it. I do remember obsessing over Barney when I was little. I remember wearing a silly Barney sweatshirt almost everyday to Kindergarten. I love Barney so much. I would sing all the I Love You songs and probably danced around like a crazy person. I am so thankful that my mom did NOT videotape any of my crazy kid performances. I do remember my little brother, Trevor, and I using combs as fake microphones and dancing and singing to the singalong video we had at our house. I will clarify that my little brother is only 11 months younger than me so I did NOT make him perform singalong songs with me. I also remember loving Eureka's castle. Trevor loved the bat that would hit a building and say I meant to do that.. I don't remember much other than the bat and loving the Christmas episode so much. It is truly weird what people remember about their childhood. I can't remember where to put commas in a paper but I remember loving the Christmas episode of Eureka's castle..

After I grew a little older I remember watching shows like Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Reading Rainbow, and Doug. I remember being scared to death of Are You Afraid of the Dark?.. The show would tell a story that was scary to 7 year olds and then at the end throw dust on the fire to put it out.. OMG scary stuff when you have barely learned not to pee your pants. That was a sick joke by the producers... I can see them in the meeting trying to figure out a way to legally torture kids who like Nickelodeon.. Shame on you Are You Afraid of the Dark producers for all of my sleepless nights.. I have to admit that I would probably still watch Rugrats today.. The clever little names of the characters of Tommy Pickles, Phil and Lil, Chuckie (boy does he look the part) and Angelica.. I can never think of the name Angelica without thinking of a mean, mean girl. Ren and Stimpy... All that needs to be said is what a sick, sick group of people who came up with this concept... I think lots and lots of drugs were involved and they had a little giggle when the show got picked up on a kids show.. If I remember right the show is back on air again.. They are laughing because it got picked up not once but twice.. Reading Rainbow got watched because my grandparents who watched us did not have cable.. We had to live with PBS, which was miles better than channel 25, which was the Jesus channel... However, my brothers and their friends can still quote stuff from Channel 25..  Doug was cool with Patty Mayonnaise and Skeeter. I'd probably secretly still watch this show too..


After I grew up to be a teenager I would have to admit that my show selection may have declined. I remember watching TRL religiously.. I would NEVER miss a day and couldn't wait to see who the number 1 song was.. My friend from work told me she requested Everybody by Backstreet Boys once on TRL. I am still to this day jealous. I LOVED Carson Daly.. I went to NYC a couple years ago and I was so sad that TRL was not still on so I could stand on the sidewalk below the building with a sign for the VJ. I remember watching 7th Heaven on then FoxFamily. I can't believe I really liked that show because looking back on it the family was way too perfect. That is so not real life.. I remember watching One Tree Hill, which I can't believe lasted until this year. Holy cow! I really like Sophia Bush's style.. She is so pretty and I'd probably trade looks with her :) This show is where the name Peyton originated for a girl... She wasn't my favorite character so I can't name any girl of mine Peyton... J/k but maybe.. I spent my fair amount of time watching stupid shows on MTV like Next, The Real World and every sleazy show you can think of to watch. My brothers made fun of me unmercifully for watching these shows and I would get so mad but I understand it now. We also can't forget the million seasons of America's Next Top Model.. I wouldn't watch them new but if there was a marathon watch out because I would watch the whole entire thing..


I should tell you that I studied the entire 4 years of college and didn't have time to watch tv but that would be a fib. I still watched the bad MTV shows but they progressed to Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant and still the Real World jazz. I have to admit, I really like reality TV.. I did a few seasons of American Idol too.. I started watching Secret Life of the American Teenager in college. I wish I didn't because it is so bad but so addicting. I still watch it every Monday at 7pm.... Thankfully my sister-in-law is hopelessly addicted too so I don't feel so bad.. I went through a huge Jon and Kate plus 8 phase. I really, really liked that show.. Yes I know Kate was crazy and Jon was a manwhore and they exploited their kids but I had to watch. I don't even know why I liked the show so much as I don't love kids but I was completely hooked. My best friend bought me the first season DVD and I watched it so often.. I was lame lol. I really liked all the wedding shows on TLC- Say Yes to the Dress...... It gets me everytime still and I am married and have a wedding dress in the closet! I also really liked House. If I watched the first 5 minutes of that show I was sure to watch the entire episode. Also, I discovered The Real Housewives of Orange County. Holy hell what drama but I love it. During college I watched more movies than I did tv shows.. That must be a college thing I believe.. Don't worry tv... I found you back later :)


Today I am still as big of a tv junkie as I was before.. As mentioned earlier, I still love Secret Life of an American Teenager.. I still watch Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant... I think these shows make me feel smart and like I have made good life choices.. I don't know how kids have kids at 16.. I am 24 and I don't even know if I can do it.. Kids having kids is not good for anyone but I will watch it if you put it on tv.. I am so bad.. I LOVE the New Girl.. If you have not watched this show, you must do it. Curt even likes it, which is saying A LOT because he hates all girl shows. I didn't watch Jersey Shore in college (I have no idea why not) but I made up for lost time after college. I am hopelessly addicted to this drama.. I think most young people are too so I feel like a better person when I read my friends Facebook status about Jersey Shore... I love The Big Bang Theory.. It makes me want to surround myself with nerdy men because it is such a fun show. I love Penny and Sheldon together.. Their acting collaboration is amazing. I laugh out loud every single episode and I love their catchy theme song by the Barenaked Ladies.. That just makes the show more awesome.. How I Met Your Mother is also legit.. Robin Sparkles is on Just Dance 3 so that is pretty legit if you can the song from the show on a dance game.. I'm over the Office.. It is not good anymore.. I sadly have moved to older folks shows of the news and Dateline.. I enjoy these shows and I used to despise it when my parents/grandparents watched thse shows.. These makes me feel so old lol.. I need to take out disability insurance (here is my plug) soon..


Last but not least, I love Wheel of Fortune.. I discovered this love in college with my roommate/best friend. We would always pick a player (Kristin first) and then we would give the left over person to Curt (he usually wasn't there so he didn't make getting the bad person) and then we would actively root for our person and against Curt's person. We did the same thing with Jeopardy.. It is not unsual still to get a text at 6:30pm from Kristin stating which person she gets.. It's things like picking players on Wheel of Fortune that seriously can help keep a friendship go forever...



Okay.. I hope you liked my very long but random blog post.. I love it when I see people and they tell me they read my blog. I had someone tell me that they actually laughed when they read it and I was shocked! As always, thanks for reading! Go Cards and remember to always root against Curt's Wheel of Fortune person. :)


H

Death

Welcome back! I took an accidental break from my blog but I promise I will do better in the future. I hope everyone had a nice Easter. I got lots and lots of candy that I so want to eat but I'm doing pretty good at resisting. My work neighbors I can't say are doing so well as I won't stop pesturing them to eat the candy for me.. Oh well..

I know you are probably thinking my blog title sounds a little morbid this week but once I thought of the topic I knew it was a post I had to make. In case you were wondering, I do my best blog topic thinking in the bathtub. I probably take about 5 baths a day plus my daily shower so lots of time to think. I was thinking about 2 weeks ago about a story a co-worker of mine told me about her friend. Her friend had died over the weekend and she told me he was a very active man in good shape and he had a freak accident and slipped out of the shower and hit his head and died because no one was there to find him. He was 24... He was my age.. The next weekend I was doing some major spring cleaning and was by coincidence, cleaning my bathtub and almost fell while I was home alone. Curt was working and wouldn't have been home for another 8 hours or so. I know it would have been a freak circumstance for the same thing to happen to me but it is not impossible. I got to thinking about what would happen if a freak accident did happen to me. Would I have left my family in a situation where they knew what to do in the following days or would it be a complete diaster?

I have always been one who could openly speak about death and what could happen but I have noticed that I am in the minority on this topic. I find this a little humorous that a culture of people trying to "save my soul" is afraid of what will happen after their soul "has been saved"... I remember trying to tell my mom what I wanted if I were to die young and she would have no part of it whatsoever.. Since I am a little older I can understand why she wouldn't want to think about what could happen to me but it is still always the possibility of something happening.. This will be my plug for life insurance.. I know that I have a policy which has enough money to make sure my family doesn't have to struggle with bills for a long, long time after I kick the bucket... Here is my one insurance plug.. :)

Okay.. So I don't think I know one single person who likes funerals.. I have no idea who thought of the idea.. Let's get a whole bunch of sad people and put them in an awkward room so they can see the upset family and the body of their loved one in a coffin and let's keep the latch open so everyone can look and be creeped out and call it a celebration of their life.. I don't know how a funeral is EVER a celebration. Here is my idea of how people should CELEBRATE my life.. First, have it in a fun spot.. Maybe rent a hall or something.. Let's have Argyle Catering cater some delicious fried chicken and all the fixings that must go with it. Please serve soda, wine, beer, and liquor and everyone who wants to participate should.. Let's put a sporting even on of some sort, preferably the Cardinals. If God really loves me, the cards will win.. (jk.. sort of..) Play some fun music and have a dance.. This is how a celebration should be.. This is much more fun than hanging in a silent room with awkward black outfits on.. I also feel coffins are the most overrated/overpriced items on earth.. I am going to be put in a ground in this box.. A cardboard box will do just fine. I don't want to be cremated (sp?) because I hate, hate fire.. I told Curt that I would haunt him until the day he dies if he does this for you. I am not kidding either.. He knows this much is true :)

I guess what this very random post is trying to get to is that everyone should have a plan and everyone should enjoy their life today.. Not tomorrow.. today.. No one knows when we will be gone so we shouldn't spend our life being the stuffy person in an awkard black suit but the fun person who is in the middle of the dance floor having the time of their life..

I hope you found my post to be interesting rather than depressing.. If not, tell me and I promise to only post on happier subjects. As always, thanks for reading..

H

Adulthood

Happy Sunday!! I want to start this week's blog by giving a little advertisement to one of my favorite peoples blog, Amanda. She has a great blog and I think everyone should check it out! We grew up in the same small town of Vienna and it is crazy how different our experiences were in the little town and we both moved away after college. If you read her blog, you must promise not to desert me and come back to my blog sometime.. So here it is.... The link.. Go read it!! ozarkfeetinnorthernsoil.blogspot.com..

Okay, back to the topic of this week's blog... Adulthood is such a desirable word when you are 16 but such a scary word when you are 24. It is described by some as a number, 18 by the government by allowing us to vote, 21 by the law for allowing us to drink and gamble (I think the government is a tad confused), or 25 by the auto insurance and auto rental companies (I got my insurance plug in for the post :)). Adulthood can be described by some by life events, graduating high school, going to college, getting a big boy/big girl job, marriage or even parenthood.

I used to think adulthood was achieved the day you turned 18. I remember I couldn't wait to become an "adult". I remember thinking I would have all the freedom in the world and wouldn't have a care in the world. I will have to admit that part of my adulthood in which I was looking forward to was not having to listen to my parents are anyone else. My parents had other thoughts on my adulthood once I turned 18. I was still living under their roof so their rules still went.. However, we are getting closer to the day when I first felt like an adult.

August, 2006 was probably the month in my life in which I grew the most, mostly out of necessity. I remember August 2006 like it was yesterday. My parents, sister and boyfriend dropped my off in my dorm room without knowing anyone and worse, without having a vehicle.. I remember being forced to learn things myself and figuring out every situation which was thrown at me. Luckily, I met my best friend in the entire world this first day. I was also lucky enough to have her as a roommate so that made my first weeks of college way better than I ever expected. I think I should maybe write Mizzou a thank you letter for my housing situation. I do believe that after getting through my first weeks of school that I still was not completely ready to be on my own. I remember going to Wal-Mart for the first time without my parents and with my own debit card. My mom was always strict about not letting us have much sugary snacks in our house. I always, always wanted her to buy the Gusher candies and I remember her baffling at the price compared to quantity of Gushers. I was determined to buy these Gushers on my first big girl shopping trip. I remember marching to the aisle as I couldn't get these candies in my cart fast enough. Then it hit me, they wanted this price for that few of candies?! I felt my appreciation for my parents grow a million times right then and there. I think that was one of my first memorable experiences into my adulthood.

We can fast forward to April, 2012 (yes, today, you are swift) :). I am now 24, married, have a big girl job and successfully go grocery shopping every single week without my parents. In case you were wondering, I refuse to buy Gushers just like my mom.. My husband tells me that I am turning into my mom every day and I have to admit, he is right. I am okay with this because I happen to think my mom is one of the best women in the world so I will take this as a compliment. I am not sure if I have completely mastered adulthood. There are so many times that I wish my parents would just make my decisions for me just like they used to in my younger games. I always laugh about how most parents don't let their children make any huge decisions until it is time for them to pick a college. In my experience, my parents backed off and told me to make my own decision on college. Hello!? You hardly let me decided what I wanted to eat at McDonalds and now you are telling me to make the biggest decision of my life without much help.. Maybe a less important decision would have been better for my first decision.. I do know why they did left this decision for me and it did completely help me grow.. My sister, Emma, is a junior now in high school and she gets to make the big college decision next year.. I am sure she probably has the exact same thoughts as me but I am sure in the future she will appreciate our parents letting her enter into a part of adulthood with this decision.

Today my adult decisions aren't what college to go to or what to buy at the grocery store, it is what house to buy and when to have kids. My husband and I were talking about when someone knows to have kids and we have decided that we will probably never know. We will have to one day (not now) make a decision and go with it even though we will be scared to death. We laughed because it would be easier to just let our parents tell us what to do but if it was up to them, we would have had their grandchildren already. I am sure for the rest of my life that I will have decisions in which I don't know the answer and don't feel adult enough to make. I'm a little sad to say that I am going to be 25 this year but on the flip side, I couldn't be happier to keep growing as a person. Plus, getting older beats the alternative.. A friend once told me that time is on a 2000 year winning streak. If I can't beat it, I might as well embrace it..

As always, thanks for reading my blog and be sure to check out my friend Amanda's blog!!!

H

0 to 41.32

I want to start my blog today by nothing that I am by no means a personal trainer, nutritionist or a runner. I am just an ordinary normal girl who works 8-5 at a desk job and dread working out just as much as the next person. Now, let's get started on the significance of 41.32.

41.32.. When I see 41.32 I now think of miles.. 41.32 miles ran in 30 days to be exact. 41.32 miles ran in 10 days less than my 40 day goal. I guess I s/Fuld back up here and tell everyone why I was trying to run 40 miles in 40 days..

It all started on a Sunday last February. My husband, Curt, and I were sitting in church when our priest was talking about the signficance of Lent. Curt and I try to make it to church on Sundays but I wouldn't consider us the most religious people on earth. We try to set good examples of ourselves but we are not the people you see knocking on doors to hand out flyers or walking around carrying a Bible everywhere you go. We normally gave something up like candy or soda for 40 days but it was nothing major. I may need to have a little insert here so my non-catholic readers can know what Lent is for us. It is the 40 days before Easter in which you are supposed to give something up or do something which causes you to remember the suffering Jesus went through for us. That is pretty much Lent in a nutshell. Back to that Sunday last February, the priest was talking about how he was going to give up radio in the car and that struck us on how hard that would be to do that for 40 days.. Curt and I were getting married that July and we needed a kick in our butts to get back in shape. We decided on our way home from church that we would do something for Lent which had to do with working out. We first kicked around going to the gym everyday but we both realized that was unrealistic and then Curt said why don't we run 40 miles in 40 days and that is the beginning of the story..

Last Lent I was able to run about 45 miles in 40 days. It took everybit of effort and determination to get through the 40 miles last year but I did it. However, I committed the worst runners mistake and stopped running after all of hard work. We didn't stop completely going to the gym but we didn't make running a priority. I actually tried to do anything to keep from running so I wouldn't have to face the fact of how much of my conditioning I had lost. I would make up some excuse on why I should do the elipitical or bike at the gym instead of hopping on the tredmill and running. Everybit of my training was completely leaving me and I was sitting back and making excuses for it to happen..

Let's fast forward to this February.. I knew I had to do my 40 miles and kept meaning to start training but never really did.. Ash Wednesday (start of Lent and February 22nd) was quickly approaching.. I remember getting on the tredmill on February 22nd knowing there would be no way I could possibly finish my goal and getting through my mile that day would not be possible. Once I started my run, I realized that I was in for a long, long 40 days. I made it through my entire mile that day and realized that I had to reach my goal. I had read that the best way to reach a goal is to write it down and tell people. Curt and I decided to use our white board in our house, right by our doorway, to keep track of our miles. We had to see this everytime we come home and all of our guests see it when they come visit. Next, I decided to update my Facebook every Wednesday on my progress so I can keep myself accountable for my miles. I also told everyone at my work and all my family so they knew of my goal also. I normally don't use books to figure out what to do but I must say that this worked completely! I managed to meet my 40 mile goal in 30 days which is 10 days better than I ever expected!

As I mentioned earlier, I am not a personal trainer but I am someone who went from not running at all to running 41.32 miles in 30 days. Here are a few words of advice I have for people.. First and foremost, set a goal. I NEVER would have been motivated to run if I had not set a goal. I can guarantee you that I would keep doing the minimum just to get by. I feel now that if I miss a day of running that I am missing something vital in my day. I feel like I am missing out on a mile of exercise that I could be getting. I don't make excuses anymore on why I can't run. I will have to admit, that some of my miles this year have been on the elpiticial since I was having some tendinitis in my leg but even then I push myself as hard as I can so I get a complete workout in. Second, I would recommend telling everyone about your goal so they can help you keep yourself accountable. Just make sure you don't annoy everyone around you by talking about it too much :) I am sure the people I work with can't wait for Lent to be over :). Third, I would keep motiviated goal and not stray to far from the goal. You will notice that I have not mentioned one time my weight. I actually try and avoid weighing myself through this whole process because my goal is about running 40 miles not about losing a certain amount of weight. Let's face it girls, our weight fluctuates every hour and it is hard to keep a constant evaulation of the results from a scale. Also, weight is something you may not have complete control over. You can't always control when your body is collecting water weight and all that jazz but you can control how much you are running/exercising. I have noticed that since I am running everyday, I am way more conscious of what I am eating because I know exactly how much work it takes to burn 200
calories and don't really want to add the calories back so fast with just one small glass of soda. I have noticed my pants fitting better and my stomach getting smaller and that is all I need to know.. I don't need a number to define me! Finally, I would recommend a way to keep yourself going and not get burnt out. Once I met my goal last year I had no reason to keep going. I have already taken steps to continue my running. I thought of maybe enrolling myself in some races like a 5k but I don't think that will keep me motivated so Curt and I decided to set our goal of 100 miles in 100 days. When we make this goal, I have decided we are going to have a big party lol.

41.32 mles is a big number to me.. It signifies a number that I never once thought I could reach this year. I can't wait for this number to keep getting bigger and bigger.. As always, thanks for reading!!

H

Random Facts

Okay so I am a tad on the nosey side and always like to know what people like and don't like. I remember being in about 5th grade and getting those surveys which people used to fill out and then forward to everyone and loving all the interesting things you learn about a person. I think one summer my friend Jill and I probably filled out a hundred of those silly surveys and forwarded them to each other. I was thinking about what topic to blog about next and decided a post about random facts would be fun, so here goes nothing..


Random Facts about H. Byrd used to be H. Schiermeier:

I am completely right hand dominant.. My left hand really serves me no purpose.

Winking is not my best thing at all. I am not able to close my left eye and keep my right eye open at the same time.. I know, very weird..

I have extremely small hands and toes. I get asked all the time how I can balance myself with having such tiny toes..

Speaking of toes, I have two partially webbed toes. Very, very weird.

I grew up in a small, country town and I absolutely despise country music.

Since I hate country music, I will admit that I love, love, love 90's pop music.. I still love The Spice Girls, NSYNC, and Britney Spears.

I am completely clueless when it comes to maps and directions. East, West, North and South have no meaning to me. I work by left, right, straight or back. This random fact drives my husband absolutely bonkers.

I am obsessed with the weather. I check weather.gov probably 25 times a day to see if there have been any changes.

I eat ketchup as its own dish.. It may be one of my favorite foods... Like ever..

My dream job would be naming other people's children as I love baby names.. I don't even want that many children or am I pregnant but I frequently google baby names.

I like ducks and my dog Ava like a fat kid loves cake.
Here is a picture of the best doggie, Ava

I am a little self conscious especially around new people and with people at work.. I guess I am a normal girl after all..

I love Wheel of Fortune.. Me and the retired folks all tune in at 6:30PM to guess the puzzles and I wouldn't change it for anything because Wheel of Fortune kind of is the da bomb.. (sticking with the 90's reference) ;)

I don't like my drinks or fruit warm. I mean I don't discriminate that much against food so I will still eat it but that is my preference :)



Okay.. Enough random facts for one post.. I am sure I will think of some more stuff to enlightening you with about me.. Thanks for reading as always!

H

March

March... A little known fact about H. Byrd is that I have an unbreakable love for this silly month.. It brings much anticipation after February and January since not much exciting events happen in those two months. I will admit that I do love Valentine's day so that day gets an exclusion (good insurance word) from my rant about the month. I know, I know single ladies are cringing about this exclusion but being married is not always puppy dogs/kittens/lollipops and gumdrops and this is one day in which are men are forced to show how much they can't live without us publicly. Okay enough with Valentine's day, I'll try and focus for the rest of the post. :)

Here are some reasons on why I wish my January and February away each year. First, they both contain this thing called winter. Winter is not my best thing to say the least. I am a HORRIBLE driver in snow/ice. I am the person going at least 15 MPH under the speed limit in flurries. I try and bribe my husband with anything so he will drive me to work and I can avoid this stressful situation driving situation. However, while I am a passenger I have to close my eyes while saying Hail Mary's a thousand times an hour. I believe this is a severage negative side effect of my work. I read auto claims all day long where people are in accidents because of snow. In summary, if you are Columbia during inclement weather and see a black Toyota Corolla (aka the black jaguar) going extremely slow on the road wave and politely go around.

Second, I don't really like starting a new year. I am used to writing the old year on my papers/work and I don't like having to change up my routine. Also, if I had a good year the year before then I get extremely sad about leaving it behind. It is things like that that make me sure I am completely crazy.

Third, I have no fun days off to look forward to after New Year's day in both months. We don't celebrate MLK day at my work (sorry Jesus) or President's day (sorry George Washington) so I am envious both of those days of my friends who get to sleep in and do whatever they want.

March brings many fun events in which make this duck very happy. I guess this will be a good time to also explain why I referred to myself as a duck. I like to have a little giggle by finding animals to assign to people in which I feel are appropriate. For example, my little sister is a good runner and goes non-stop so she is a roadrunner. I also like to call myself a puppygirl if I'm sleepy because my dog is always tired and we call her puppygirl. I would completely understand if you stopped reading after sharing that because you think I am crazy. I would too but I like to do this because it usually lightens the mood and makes people laugh a little.. Okay back to March now. I love March because usually it is the first month in which you can check the weather and not cringe for the fear of snow. It is usually starting to be 60 or 70 during the day, which makes everyone in such a happy mood. I have noticed people usually are nicer/happier in March because they can go outside and are not cooped up in the house. March is usually the first month in which Curt and I can go out and grill too which is something we both really love.

March brings extra light to our world. As mentioned in my previous post, this duck LOVES sleep. It is probably one of my most favorite things in the universe. Daylight savings time is happening this year in March and after about 2 weeks of grouchiness, I decide that I can live without that extra hour of sleep and start to enjoy the extra sunshine in the evenings. I love being able to go for walks when I get home and seeing all the kiddos in my neighborhood out and about in the evenings.

The last, most important, even March brings is March Madness. I love, love, love college basketball so this is pretty much Christmas for me. I love all the games going on all day long and frantically checking my bracket to see how good or bad (usually bad) I am doing this year. The competitiveness and intensity of each game is a sport's fan dream. It is exciting seeing every fan wearing their team proudly each gameday during the tournament. It is so exciting seeing the Cinderella teams and seeing the big dogs getting knocked out each year. Each team in the tournament has a chance of winning the big dance. I hope my Missouri Tigers this year advance very far. We have such a vested interest in this team since we go to each game with our season tickets. I almost feel as if I am playing in the dang tournament.

The word March right now is usually followed by the word madness. To me, march is not madness at all but the beginning of the best part of the year and is a month filled with happiness and excitement. I am ready to enjoy everyday this Month has to bring. I hope you enjoyed my post and as always, Go Tigers!

H