in the middle of the night...

This post should be titled the midnight from hell!!

But I didn't want you to freak out. But FYI it was the worst middle of the night of my life (and I've been married, so... ).

Let me break it down for you.

FRIDAY NIGHT

(technically Saturday morning)

1 AM

Just got home from a date. So excited to put my fresh sheets on my bed so I could fall asleep instantly.

I started to pull the duvet cover over the comforter, and notice a teeny, tiny spider. Killed it. 10 seconds later, I saw another one. Killed it. 30 seconds after that I see a spider hanging in front of my face.

What is going on?

I look up and there are literally ONE HUNDRED teeny spiders all over the ceiling, some coming down and others crawling around frantically.

EWWWWWWW!!!!!

After multiple swears and mini screams (it is the middle of the night, after all) I pulled myself together. I spent the next hour spraying the crap out of the little demons and smashing them all.

2:30 AM

SAFE!

My sense of security was quickly dashed. I have a duvet cover full of RUFFLES. Meaning, for hours before I got home, little spiders were just nesting in all of them.

I rip off the duvet, shove it in the washer and pour as much bleach as I can into it. I go back to the bedroom to scour the space for any creepy crawling thing.

3:00 AM

When I feel safe, again, I go into the bathroom (where the washer is) to wash my face. While my back is turned, the washer is in spin cycle. All of the sudden I hear a SMACK followed by a SPLASH. Half of a bottle of bleach has just poured all over the floor, me and the rest of the bathroom.

Are you kidding me?

Luckily I have white towels so I just pulled them down as fast as I could to soak up the bleach. There was so much bleach in the air that my eyeballs were burning.

My pj's didn't make it out so hot:

3:30 AM

Put a ton of clothes on (to protect my body) play some random movie so that I will fall asleep to it and not think about all of the spiders that will probably be hovering over my bed all night.

9:00 AM

I wake up and think, was that a nightmare?

No.

No it wasn't.

I lived it.

That was for real.

Yes, I had to tell myself that many times.

the itch.

tonight i was painting a huge craigslist-find dresser (i can't wait to post it on here once i finish!).

i needed a snack.

i proceeded to put 7 starbursts down my shirt. you know, so i could have easy access.

mysteriously, my bosom was itching all the live long night. oh well, carry on.

...

i just changed into my pj's.

turns out i also used the shirt for the wrappers.

don't be afraid to scratch the itch.

I guess not everyone is as excited about my boots as I am. The nerve!

My brothers teased me(as they were becoming one with the couch) about my "irrigation boots" and that I could go to Smith & Edwards to get a pair for $20. Better, yet, why don't I just borrow some from my Grandpa! Some people just don't understand FA-FA-FA-FASHION... :)

Yesterday was a blustery day at the ole office and I was donning my boots, feet toasty & dry, safe from the elements. The mail man walks in wearing one of those plastic safari hats. He takes one look at my boots and asks, "Are you wearing those for real?"

"Are you wearing that hat for real?"

...."Good point. See you tomorrow."

Must I go through life defending the beauty of the boots to plastic-safari-hat-wearers and brothers who wear Jordan basketball shorts year round? I contend that I must not.

ACK! As I was pressing publish on this post, safari-hat-mailman walked right in. I almost had a heart attack! Must he defend the beauty of his hat to expensive-rubber-galosh-wearers?

I contend that he must.

why i'm totally jeal of married people

my Grandma & Grandpa Hicken at Maeci's baptism, Feb 2009

I remember being married(vaguely-weird how that happens). I remember that it was not good. I remember keeping so much to myself, not sharing my feelings and fears of my future with even my mom, until I basically exploded. Turns out, I’m pretty good at hiding things. It might even be a talent.

blah, blah, de blah.

Anyway, all of my feelings and fears are for another post(or a book). What I really feel like writing about is my hope and faith in marriage. Guess what everybody? I still want to be married someday!

Why? I know a lot of people that have been married before, and after that went to hell in a handbasket(sorry mom, i love that phrase!), they have sworn it off forever like the plague!

I will tell you why. It’s because of all of the wonderful examples of happy marriages in my life, and I have seen the joy and fulfillment these people experience through being married. They all have issues and struggles, I’m sure. But you can tell a lot about a couple by the way they treat each other in front of other people-friends, family. I’ve paid attention. I’m watching YOU!

The first couples that come to my mind are my Grandma & Grandpa Hicken, and my own amazing parents. I have seen both couples have “discussions”(mom always said, “we’re not fighting, we’re having a discussion”) or disagreements, and the way they treat each other during these times of stress is when the true colors of marriage really shine! My grandpa uses his sense of humor to diffuse situations, and my dad... well my dad is the most patient man I know, and it takes quite a bit to get him riled up... Side note 1: I just realized that it is the men in both of the marriages keeping it easy... us women have a lot more hormones to sort out!

Along with my grandparents & parents, I also look to all of my seriously awesome aunts, uncles and friends to observe their marriages and learn some little lessons I may have missed out on the first go around. Side note 2: my stomach is being so loud right now... must have been the Chinese. I am so happy I’m not sitting in class. Or church...

Anyway, THANK YOU, all my married examples, for helping me keep my faith in marriage. I know that it can be a wonderful blessing in life, and doesn’t have to be filled with fear, anger, and hurtful words. Instead it can be filled with encouragement, kindness and laughter.

I simply cannot end the post without also stating that a large portion of my faith in marriage remains with my Heavenly Father and his plan for me. A favorite quote pops into my head frequently:

“Come what may, and love it”-Joseph B. Wirthlin

"That which is for you, will not pass you by"-unknown

I promise I don’t write things about my past experience with marriage for pity, but rather for what it is-something that I have experienced, learning from that and also trying to organize my feelings about it so that I may look to the future with my hope & faith secure!

Thanks for reading my random thoughts...

class of 2010

Thinking about all the schools getting out for the summer brought up dusty, fond memories of getting my yearbook and having it signed by friends and crushes that I desperately hoped would call me over the summer(desperately is not an exaggeration)... Well I don’t get yearbooks anymore :(. So I’ve created my own, from the apartment complex that I work at.... Here is just a taste of the “student body”.

2009-2010 yearbook at my property

Susan: my favorite resident. no teeth. announces weather 5 times daily. But it’s always the same weather report; “It might rain!” loves pepsi. pushes baby(doll) in stroller around property. smokes like a chimney.

toothless travis*: had unsuccessful attempt at suicide with a gun in an Arby’s(after his marriage of 13 days ended), he missed completely. That was enough to claim disability, but don’t let that fool you. he is smart enough to work the system. Your taxes at work people. Can be found stalking the Jazz players daily, rapping, and roaming Redwood Road.

tina: meanest resident ever(has mental capacity of 6 year old though, is that a pass?). smokes like a chimney. Demands I make her coffee daily. DEMANDS it.flips her neighbors off and steals their ups packages-don’t worry she always leaves a paper trail back to her apartment

porn star: not sure of the name because that’s what he calls himself. he asked us if we recognized him when he moved in from his “work”. no.... and for the record, there’s no way he would ever be a porn star. smells like an entire factory of smoke butts.

Todd & Troy: brothers. they have ridiculous fights with each other daily. both obsessed with hannah montana and any other disney teeny bopper star. the stinkiest residents, besides....

Richard: semi normal, really stinky. has some left over skin from his stomach that he stuffs into one pant leg, and it hangs down to his knee. That is a fact. We asked him about it.

*names may or may not have been changed

And there you have it. the class of 2010. but there is no graduation, this will go on for years!

**I love my job, and I really do love the residents(even Tina). It’s what makes daily life exciting!**

Bound and Determined

Today is going to be a good day, I thought to myself. I woke up to my alarm at 5:20 for the morning gym routine before my roommate Sarah, which never happens. We have a goal that if we go 4 times a week for a month at 5:30 every morning we can buy ourselves a gift... Anyway, that is besides the point.

After I so kindly woke her up for the gym, I decided to check on my car from my bedroom window. You see, there is an empty covered spot right in front of my apartment, and last night it was just too hard to walk a mile from the other side of the complex. I have never seen a car in this spot, I've actually parked there before and nothing happened. "They'll give me a ticket at worst"...

When I peered out my window, I hoped I was sorely confused. My car was no where to be seen! I knew my car had been towed. I tried to look at this situation from every angle possible so that it wouldn't be my fault, but I couldn't find a single one! Oh well, I was taking the risk when I parked there, so I'll pay the $100 to get it back.

I finally got a hold of Legacy Towing (Legacy meaning Evil) and asked how much it was. "$250." "Why so much?" "That's how much it costs." I thought he said it would be $75 more after 9 am. Sarah is the bestie so she offered to take me down to the ghetto with no hesitation. We can't find it among all the other towing companies located in the trailer. I call to get the exact locale and he says "It's $75 cheaper if you wait til after 9." Ok great so it's $175? "Yeah, $175."

Go to the ATM, Sarah gives me her bus pass to take down, shows me how to use it(I'm quite embarrassed I had never been on the bus before) and I am on my way.

The bus was fun! ...at first. I even made a successful transfer to get to my desired destination. I pull the lever ever so gently at the stop. We pass it. Oops, I guess I didn't pull it hard enough! I yank on it for the next stop which is about 4 blocks down, on the other side of the freeway. That's fine, I can walk distance!

After almost being hit by a man in his little porsche(I was sure to give him a little wave hello-for real-not the finger!), and crossing under the freeway overtaken by pigeon poo, I walked the remaining 5 blocks to Legacy (Evil) Towing. There were guard dogs outside and barking and trying to chase me through the fence. "Don't be so mean!" I yelled.

Hooray! I have found the building at the very back of the property! But much to my dismay, it is locked. I call the towing number and it goes to voicemail twice. A guy from another towing company lets me in the poorly lit, yellow hallways to wait. He is in his office playing with a bird that has poop all over the floor! It started skwaking and he pounds his fist into the desk, "You shut up! I will make soup out of you!" It was lovely. I waited ONE HOUR. Being so tired of standing, I was squatting on my purse when the super nice gentleman from Legacy (Evil) showed up.

Without so much as a "hello" or "sorry you had to wait an hour" he walks behind his counter and hands me a bill that says $200. "Why so much? The guy told me $175." "Who?" "Whoever I talked to at 6:45 this morning." "Oh well he must have been sleeping. It's $200." I use their ATM to get out $20 which is really like $30 with all the fees. I practically threw the money at him. "Meet me out back and I will unlock the gate for you." Gee, thanks, you really are too kind!

After I sped off and screamed and pounded my fists into my thighs for a short time(I'm sure I looked really wonderful), I decided something. It is only 10 am. I am going to have a good day! This is my own fault really, I had to pay the consequences for something I knew I wasn't supposed to do. So what, $200? Nothing I can do now! I have a great friend who so kindly sacrificed her early morning to drive me around for nothing, and Tyler was super sympathetic about my mistake and even took me to lunch!

I decided NOT to pay forward the customer service I had received, and instead was the nicest I've ever been to all those people walking in my door. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but I felt I succeeded. I had a good day.

Something for you to ponder...

Has anyone really ever had any meaningful relationships come as a result of being hit on whilst driving on the freeway?

I asked myself this question last night as I was exiting the freeway with a truck still on my tail after 10 minutes with two guys inside trying to signal me down for my number.

Uh.......no thank you!