So my foot is getting a bit better. That mostly means that it looks pretty bad (the bruise is about two inches in diameter) but I can walk without limping. Which is good, because on Sunday I couldn’t even drive without being in pain. I’ve been up and about but I’m not about to try and cram it into a sneaker yet. Being immobile for another few days isn’t really my idea of a good time, especially when I have stuff going on. YAY STUFF! The bulk of it is appointments for our health (and Alley’s) but at least it’s getting me out of the house, right? I had a dentist appointment tomorrow and things are looking good there. Still no cavities! Go me! I have a dental cleaning Thursday and Alley’s got a checkup on Friday, so we’re all getting our ducks in a row it seems. Health is important!

I went to meet with Russell from Sagemont yesterday and I’m thinking that it should be a good thing for me, to get involved, hopefully meet some new people and just get out of the house. It looks like I’m stuck here today, but that’s alright since I’ve got things planned for the rest of the week. I just don’t want every day to be the same, day in day out, etc etc. Hopefully it won’t be the case! Tomorrow I think that I’m going to help out Val with some more cleaning, and we’ll get the guest room in motion. Mom will be arriving in a little over two weeks, so that’s pretty exciting. It should be fun to get the guest room all decorated. We still need to get this apartment in order, but I’m waiting on Mike to organize a few things and then we just need to find places for the old TV, some new doodads and some old boxes.

I’m going to need to run out later to pick up some last minute things to use for dinner. Somehow I managed to run out of onion yet again. (It’s a chronic problem.) I’ll head out to Walmart and do that, so I can fix up some lasagna tonight. While I’m there, I’m going to get some McDonald’s fries. I’ve been craving them forever, so I’m going to eradicate that problem!! Food cravings are so strange. I just want something all the time, and then I get sick of it and don’t want it anymore. Hopefully I won’t clog up my arteries too much while I’m craving the fries!

So this morning I’m heading over to the couch with a yogurt smoothie, thinking that I’m finally going to start taking charge of my 5 pounds that have jumped aboard in the past few months. Pants are starting to get tight and all. I was going to drink up, check my internet reading, and maybe log back into SparkPeople for the first time in about 8 months.

Now I’m sitting on the couch still in my pajamas, with ice on over my foot. Usually when you smash your toes into a coffee table it hurts for a little bit and then it’s over. I can already feel it swelling up and it still really hurts. And I did it like 20 minutes ago. So, it appears as though my plans for today are kinda shot. I was hoping to head over to Val’s and help her with some cleaning, run to Target and Starbucks, and then tonight we’re supposed to go out with friends for a birthday celebration. But if I’m going to be hopping everywhere then it might be a problem.

It just figures, doesn’t it?

So I’m continuing in my quest to keep myself busy, and integrate myself in Houston life. Yesterday I spent most of the day hanging out with my mother-in-law helping to get her house ready for my mom’s visit in mid-February. We are cleaning out and redecorating Mike’s old room so that Mom will have a room all to herself when she spends her two weeks here. We went out shopping yesterday just to price some things. We found a GORGEOUS bedspread at Tuesday Morning, which pretty much is where things that didn’t sell get sent, so everything is like 70% off. The one I liked was $199 – after the discount. Yeah, it was that nice, too. We didn’t pick up anything yet, we just looked around. There’s some nice things out there, and we’re really excited about it. It’ll give us a project for the next three weeks or so.

Today I put my name in to help with some secretarial work at the church we go to, Sagemont. I’m also thinking about joining their choir, so practice is tomorrow at 7:15. We’ll see how it goes, anyways. I was thinking about doing a Bible Study as well, but I don’t really know which one I’d like to be in so it makes it difficult to choose one. Maybe during the fall I’ll find one. I’m just trying to keep busy these days, I want to find things to do and really I’m thinking that as long as I keep busy I’ll be ok, and if I make friends it’ll just be gravy. Or frosting. Whichever food topping metaphor sounds better (I’m leaning towards frosting). Anyways, we’ll just see what comes up out of it. I’ve got plans for most of the next week so that’s fantastic. I always feel better when I’m out there doing things. For now I’m going to play it by ear and bide my time until the work permit comes through.

Mike and I trying to establish and maintain a budget, which is difficult because right now we’re only on one income (since I can’t work and all) and our bills are pretty steep with the new car loan and my student loan. That’s been a challenge for me especially, since I like to have new things on occasion and we still need little extras for the apartment (for example, I needed a mixing bowl a week ago, and it almost broke the bank!). At any rate, we are trying really hard to make this one income thing work, and that includes a new mindset to really evaluate purchases and to make sure I make my small spending account last. Most of it went out the window during Christmas (not surprising) but I still have a little bit left to use at my discretion. So along with the gift cards I have left over I have not very much to spend but it hasn’t been that difficult once I change my mindset.

Today I drove to the mall (first time by myself!) and shopped for a couple hours. I didn’t actually spend anything. I got a pair of pants at American Eagle and a coffee at Starbucks, but they were both covered by gift cards. After that, I bought a small fries at McDonald’s and dropped off some things at Goodwill. The fries were $1. So I did pretty good for being gone about 4 hours! Of course, it took some gas to get down there and back, but probably only a gallon or two maximum. So all in all, it was a cheap day out, and I had a good time. It’s good for me to get out and do inexpensive things, not only so I don’t go stir crazy, but so that I get in the habit of it.

It does sort of stink to not be able to run out and get some little thing whenever I want, including mixing bowls, but it’s helping us make responsible financial choices early on and hopefully that will help us get into a house earlier than we expect. I know it’s a couple years out from now, but we like this apartment and the location, so hopefully it won’t be so bad.

The past few days have been friggin’ chilly lately. Hovering just below zero and all of that. The forecast was even threatening some snow today! The threats appear to be empty because all I see is wet concrete and the occasional raindrop. I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m brave enough to go out and procure postage stamps or not. If the roads are slick than that means Houstonians that can’t drive well on it, and the chances of getting knocked around increase. Besides, when it’s cold out, I have a tendency to want to burrow. Cold days are perfect for taking long, hot baths, cuddling in a blanket with a book, or cooking a nice chili. All things that I’m considering for today. Alley is so cold that she’s huddled underneath three blankets, taking a nap! She’s definitely a Texas kitty I think. Born in the wrong place, just like me.

So I’m not sure if this museum thing is going to work out very well. I signed up for some training for the upcoming Frogs exhibit but I really don’t want to be a docent (aka tour guide) and of course the research thing is all moved and not really accessible right now. I could still run a couple tours once or twice a week I guess, but I’m not that excited about it. I’m thinking that working in a soup kitchen would be more fun than having to talk about frogs to a bunch of kids with two-second attention spans. When I go to the library to check out a book (probably soon, since I just finished one last night) I’m going to find out if they need volunteers. Maybe I could do a charity too, but I’m not sure where to start looking in that regard. I wish there was a company that matched up volunteers with organizations.

Anyways, hopefully I’ll be working at a paid job sooner than I think. The wait for EADs is backed up to September so I’m not sure what the likelihood of that is.  Not much I can do besides work on my projects and try to bide my time until I’m a working girl. Whenever that will be.

The weekend has been quite good so far. I spent most of my day at the museum on Friday, and ended up going on three tours. I’m supposed to shadow along with a few other tours in the coming weeks so that I get a feel for the place and all of that. I could either be a greeter and help direct traffic, or do some research, which is really what I want to do. I’m also going to volunteer to help with the gala which is coming up. I’m pretty psyched about it, and if it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be enough then I’ll just throw my hand in somewhere else too. I can’t wait until I get to start working for pay though, I miss having the extra cash. Still no idea where I’d even start looking for paid work, but I’m not going to worry about that right now.

We decided to spend our weekend fairly relaxed and lazy-like. Friday night and Saturday we stayed home, except for a brief trip to the in-laws to let the dogs outside and to feed them. Mike was supposed to do more room cleaning out today but he and his dad got sidetracked by watching 24. I brought my cross-stitch and got some work done on that, and also left with food, a new cookbook, and a cake storage container. Fitting, since I’ve made a few cakes lately. We went for an early dinner today since Grandma was out of the nursing home for a few hours. It was nice to see her, and it’s a shame that she isn’t having such a good time there. If there’s not crappy weather tomorrow, then we’ll head back over so Mike can do more work on his room and we’ll possibly stop at the mall. He’s off tomorrow for Martin Luther King Jr Day, so we have a nice long weekend together, filled with much togetherness!

Not very much else is up around here, the apartment needs more cleaning as always but it never seems to be finished. It feels like we’re more moved in now though. It’s feeling a lot more like home now. Anyways, not much else to say but hopefully things with the museum pick up and I might even try volunteering at the local library.

Today was a pretty productive day (and it’s not over yet!). I called the Museum of Natural Science this morning and I have an appointment on Friday to talk about volunteering. I actually got the idea from a friend of mine and when I thought about it, it dawned on me that it was a pretty perfect idea. I mean, history and stuff is what I do! It would be great experience to go on my resume. And if I got a research position or one that involved cataloging a collection, then even better! I don’t want to be a tour guide but I’m sure there’s loads of things that would be interesting. It’s also not too far from here (about 20 minutes away) so even better. I’m really excited about this new prospect and I hope that it works out. I don’t want to only do the museum though, but even a couple days a week would be perfect.

I’m trying to put a positive spin on this not getting to work thing. I can spread myself out to a couple of different interests and get a well balanced schedule before I have to spend 30+ hours a week doing just one job. My mother in law also vaguely mentioned a job working with her, but I’m not sure it’ll work it out either. I’ll be talking to her once things with Grandma settle down. If it hasn’t become clear yet, chances are I won’t be taking care of her. Mostly because it looks likely that she’s going to be in a nursing home for a little while in order to qualify for some sort of government care program. And that’s ok – I would rather have lots of social interaction since that’s mostly what’s driving me crazy being here at home all day. I’m also trying to get in a Bible study small group in the area, so we’ll see how that goes.

I also went out shopping for an hour or so this afternoon, and managed to return some cables that Mike bought by accident. I didn’t think that they would take it back since it was opened and we had lost the receipt, but since I had the gift card that we purchased it with, they were able to track the purchase and print out a makeshift receipt and so I got store credit from that. I checked for Wii accessories but of course there were no wiimotes or nunchuks. I’m not sure why I bother looking, they won’t have any for awhile yet. It’s alright – Mike is still working through Twilight Princess and that’ll take him awhile yet. Then I used a coupon from coldstonecreamery.com and got $1 off my ice cream, which I finished off while browsing in Bed Bath & Beyond. I only got a mixing bowl, although it’s pretty tempting to get every cool kitchen gadget they have while you’re in there. They have some neat stuff. The bowl is now being cleaned by the dishwasher, and then I’m going to make a cake or something. Then tonight, Mike and I are going to take a little drive down to the museum so that I’ll know how to get there on Friday morning. YAY!

Also, we booked a flight for my mom to come out and visit so she’s heading down on the 17th of next month. She’s staying for two weeks, so that should be fun. I’ve got to share the great weather with the poor frozen Nova Scotians!

Today’s been a pretty laid back kind of day. Mike returned to work and I got up, ate some breakfast, and headed to the gym. After that I didn’t do much of anything. I’ve spent some time surfing the internet and now I’m watching Felicity and snuggling with Alley on the couch. She’s been really snuggly today, probably because we’ve been on the go so much this past week and a bit and I know that she misses the company.

Mike’s Grandma has been in the hospital for the past few days. I can tell that Val is more concerned this time around because she had a mild heart attack and she’s still having chest pains. So we’ll know more tomorrow when they run some tests but for now it’s a tense situation. She’s apparently quite weak. Mike and I will possibly go visit her tonight. I was supposed to earn a little bit of money watching her while Val was trying to do some work, but it looks like that is postponed for awhile.

I really need to get the apartment cleaned up but I just don’t have any energy or drive today, and I’m not sure where to start. The place is clean, sort of, but it’s kinda messy and in disarray. It really just needs to be tidied up and most of it doesn’t really have a place that it belongs so that makes it very frustrating. Maybe today will be a day off and I’ll start on the apartment and my various other things that I need to get done accomplished tomorrow. I always feel crummy after I’m done procrastinating but sometimes you just need it.