Wednesday, November 19, 2008

It's a BOY!

We are so excited about our little boy! At the ultrasound place, we sat there trying to process that we were going to have a boy (which we would have done the same thing if it was a girl). We would have these pauses as we waited for the radiologist to study the pictures, one of us would say, “I can’t believe it is a boy”. When we were driving home, even though we had both said it so many times, one of us would say, “I can’t believe it is a boy”. I loved all of the pictures, but they didn't load the same direction I saved them. The pictures say what they are if you can't figure it out.








Monday, November 17, 2008

It's a .....

Here are the pictures for you to see.
Now you must solve the mystery.
Will we be buying pink or blue?
Look for the clues it's up to you.

What if you think the tech couldn't tell.
Who knows? That might be the right guess as well.
We will reveal the truth in its own due time.
It may seem unfair, but it's no crime.





Masonic Temple in Alexandria

We went to the Masonic Temple on Saturday. It was raining so we didn't take any pictures of the outside building structure which is really interesting looking, but here are a few of the pictures of the inside. We enjoyed our tour and learned a little more about Masons.

This is a view from the top of the look out tower at the top of the 9 stories. About 1/3 through the picture starting from the left you can see the Washington Monument and at about 2/3 to 3/4 through the picture you can see the Capitol building. We thought it was neat looking from the storm and that it looked like Babylon.


This the the grounds in front of the building. They were very beautiful and shockingly green for mid November. The G in the middle stands for God or Geometry depending on which Mason you speak with. Surrounding that is the compass and the square which are kind of they signature tools it seems.


Mason's can belong to any religion. In the temple, different floors were decorated by different religions within the group. This particular floor had scenes from the Old and New Testament. This is a representation of the Holy of Holies from Solomon's temple. Above the door there is Hebrew. It is supposed to say "Holiness to the Lord", but since it is for the public it is purposefully wrong and says "Holiness to a made up word". They have the correct way in the Lodge room that they use to teach the Masons.



This is a picture of Solomon's temple. It represents that on the outside we are not perfect, but within each of us there is something special. Off to the side of this there was a picture of the sacred place that represents the special place that each of us have within us.


This is Wendi by a knight. Jason was the photographer today.


Here is an apron. They wear aprons and this chain around their necks. If you look at George Washington in pictures he is wearing his Masonic apron and necklace frequently which I had never noticed. On it there is the all seeing eye in the middle, the compass and the square which are one of the main tools used by the Masons. There are worlds on pedestals. One represents the terrestrial world and the other the Celestial world. There are a lot more on it, but I don't remember and you can't see them in the picture anyways.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

My Lover Strikes Again! or Ask and Ye shall Receive!

I just asked for flowers and then they appeared! Sometimes I just get in the mood to get flowers, so I put in my request and it always gets fulfilled. Jason just came this perfect! To brag more...He did 3 loads of laundry yesterday. Then, I came home from work today and he had lunch for me just in case I came home for lunch, but I ate at school, so I had it for dinner. I'm a lucky girl!

I bet you had the same reaction!

There were 16 roses and they made our whole apartment smell so nice! I especially enjoyed it with my super hero sense of smell.

Fall

This is my favorite Fall tree and it is only inches from our deck.

This is another view of the tree with our apartment right behind it.

Look to the bottom of the picture. Can you believe we still have some green grass around here? It is kind of fun.

10 Ways to Be Happier (an article I found on Yahoo)

10 Ways to Be Happier
by Real Simple, on Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:00am PDTRead More from This Author »53 CommentsPost a CommentReport Abuse
How happy are you -- really? If there’s room for improvement, then Gretchen Rubin has some suggestions.

A few years ago, on a morning like any other, I had a sudden realization: I was in danger of wasting my life. As I stared out the rain-spattered window of a New York City bus, I saw that the years were slipping by.

“What do I want from life?” I asked myself. “Well…I want to be happy.” I had many reasons to be happy: My husband was the tall, dark, handsome love of my life; we had two delightful girls, ages 1 and 7; I was a writer, living in my favorite city. I had friends; I had my health; I didn’t have to color my hair. But too often I sniped at my husband or the drugstore clerk. I felt dejected after even a minor professional setback. I lost my temper easily. Is that how a happy person would act?

I decided on the spot to begin a systematic study of happiness. (A little intense, I know. But that’s the kind of thing that appeals to me.) In the end, I spent a year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and tips from popular culture. If I followed all the advice, I wanted to know, would it work?

Well, the year is over, and I can say: It did. I made myself happier. And along the way I learned a lot about how to be happier. Here are those lessons.

1. Don’t start with profundities.
When I began my Happiness Project, I realized pretty quickly that, rather than jumping in with lengthy daily meditation or answering deep questions of self-identity, I should start with the basics, like going to sleep at a decent hour and not letting myself get too hungry. Science backs this up; these two factors have a big impact on happiness. Learn how to Get a Good Night's Sleep.

2. Do let the sun go down on anger.
I had always scrupulously aired every irritation as soon as possible, to make sure I vented all bad feelings before bedtime. Studies show, however, that the notion of anger catharsis is poppycock. Expressing anger related to minor, fleeting annoyances just amplifies bad feelings, while not expressing anger often allows it to dissipate. (See 16 Ways to Manage Your Anger from Real Simple)

3. Fake it till you feel it.
Feelings follow actions. If I’m feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I’m feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective.

4. Realize that anything worth doing is worth doing badly.
Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. People who do new things — learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places — are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well. I often remind myself to “Enjoy the fun of failure” and tackle some daunting goal.

5. Don’t treat the blues with a “treat.”
Often the things I choose as “treats” aren’t good for me. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt and loss of control and other negative consequences deepen the lousiness of the day. While it’s easy to think, I’ll feel good after I have a few glasses of wine…a pint of ice cream…a cigarette…a new pair of jeans, it’s worth pausing to ask whether this will truly make things better.

6. Buy some happiness.
Our basic psychological needs include feeling loved, secure, and good at what we do and having a sense of control. Money doesn’t automatically fill these requirements, but it sure can help. I’ve learned to look for ways to spend money to stay in closer contact with my family and friends; to promote my health; to work more efficiently; to eliminate sources of irritation and marital conflict; to support important causes; and to have enlarging experiences. For example, when my sister got married, I splurged on a better digital camera. It was expensive, but it gave me a lot of happiness bang for the buck.

7. Don’t insist on the best.
There are two types of decision makers. Satisficers (yes, satisficers) make a decision once their criteria are met. When they find the hotel or the pasta sauce that has the qualities they want, they’re satisfied. Maximizers want to make the best possible decision. Even if they see a bicycle or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until they’ve examined every option. Satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers. Maximizers expend more time and energy reaching decisions, and they’re often anxious about their choices. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

8. Exercise to boost energy.
I knew, intellectually, that this worked, but how often have I told myself, “I’m just too tired to go to the gym”? Exercise is one of the most dependable mood-boosters. Even a 10-minute walk can brighten my outlook. Try one of these 15-Minute Workouts.

9. Stop nagging.
I knew my nagging wasn’t working particularly well, but I figured that if I stopped, my husband would never do a thing around the house. Wrong. If anything, more work got done. Plus, I got a surprisingly big happiness boost from quitting nagging. I hadn’t realized how shrewish and angry I had felt as a result of speaking like that. I replaced nagging with the following persuasive tools: wordless hints (for example, leaving a new lightbulb on the counter); using just one word (saying “Milk!” instead of talking on and on); not insisting that something be done on my schedule; and, most effective of all, doing a task myself. Why did I get to set the assignments?

10. Take action.
Some people assume happiness is mostly a matter of inborn temperament: You’re born an Eeyore or a Tigger, and that’s that. Although it’s true that genetics play a big role, about 40 percent of your happiness level is within your control. Taking time to reflect, and conscious steps to make your life happier, really does work. So use these tips to start your own Happiness Project. I promise it won’t take you a whole year.

About the Author
Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, and she keeps a daily blog at www.happiness-project.com. Her next book, The Happiness Project, will be published in late 2009. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Pentagon Memorial

We went to the Pentagon memorial. It was my second trip to the memorial and Pentagon this week. I went with the YM/YW on Wednesday and toured the Pentagon as well. This time I was just excited to see Jason after the last 3 weeks. He had 2 midterms in the last 5 days and one the week or so previous. He has been buried with studying and it was 75* outside, so it was so much fun to do something and see my lover.

Jason and the memorial for each of the 184 individuals who perished on September 11, 2001 in either the Pentagon or airplane excluding the terrorists.

The Pentagon is in the background. All of the memorials are aligned to the angle that the plane hit.

It's growing!

The comments of "You aren't even showing" are dissipating. I think it is a hint that baby is getting bigger. These pictures never reflect an accurate depiction of the size of my gut. It was brought to my attention if you lift your arms it stretches your mid section sliming the belly, so this time I just put it out in front of me. Who knows? Just enjoy the pictures while I am still willing to provide them. Other exiting information is that we find out what it is in 2 weeks.