A Busy Weekend

I can't believe that Memorial Day has already come and gone! It sure was a busy one! Saturday morning Gary and I got up and headed to Muskegon. We had a good time visiting my cousin who married Gary's bestfriend. At anyrate, it was good to see them. We grilled out , the guys went and saw X-Men, us girls stayed back and drank some wine. Sunday we went to Grand Haven. We had lunch a a fun little bar called "The Kirby Bar." After our lunch, we walked the boardwalk and watched the boats. It was very hot but beautiful. I love Grand Haven! If I could I would live there,..... actually any place by the water would be okay with me. After our trip to Grand Haven, Gary and I headed home. Once we hit home, we were off again! We went over to some friends house for a patio party. ... and when I say party, I mean party! Our friend Matt plays the guatiar, we sang some good 'ol Jimmy Buffet songs and had some cold ones... we didn't get home until 2am! Good Times!

On Memorial day, we got up and decided today was the day we were going to do some lawn work. We ended up rotertilling our veggie garden. We then planted our veggie garden. After that, we ran to Lowes and bought more stuff to plant... a rose bush, two dwarf pines and other stuff. Once we got all that in, we were beat! We went to dinner and called it a night.

I am looking forward to this weekend, because we are going to do some more lawn work, I think that we are going to do some mulching and planting.. and hopefully that will be the end of it.. I hope!

Good Times

Yesterday I was beside myself at work. I could hardly sit still! All I wanted to do was leave, call up some girlfriends, and chat it up! Finally the day ended and some girls from work decided to come on over. It was grand! Gary was/is out of town for the weekend, so it was a perfect oppurtunity to get to get together with some friends. Gretchen and Carol came over and we sat and had some fun drinks complete with strawberries and colorful little umbrellas. We laughed so hard I thought I was going to burst! It was a wonderful evening and we didn't finish laughing until around 3:30 am. As you can imagine, I am now so tired I can hardly see straight! but it was a wonderful evening.

Today, I didn't get out of bed till about 10am. I lounged in my pj's robe, and a good cup of coffee until 1pm...bad! bad! I then met up with a girlfriend for lunch and then we went to Lowes. I bought some flowers to plant, and then I picked up my wallpaper. I am hoping that tomorrow will be much more productive! I had hoped that I would get much more accomplished, but I guess that's what ya get for party'n! Have a wonderful weekend!

Just thought this was Interesting...

While doing some research reguarding the "childfree" I ran across this article and thought it was interesting..


We believe the costs associated with the role overshadow those benefits,’’ said Robin Simon, co-author of the study published in December in the journal published by the American Sociological Association. ‘‘We romanticize parenthood. It’s difficult and it is expensive.’’ This depressing statistic — depressing that is, if you’ve already ventured down the procreation road yourself — includes everyone from parents still changing diapers to, more surprisingly, those who sent their kids to college long ago. The finding runs counter to those on other social roles in the United States, such as marriage and employment, that do help your emotional well being, the study said. The good news is that if you’re depressed, ‘‘You are not alone,’’ said Simon, an associate professor at Florida State University and parent of two. The findings add fodder to a growing movement of selfproclaimed ‘‘child-free’’ couples who choose not to have children. The number of voluntarily childless women rose from 4.9 percent in 1982 to 6.6 percent in 1995 and dipped to 6.2 percent in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Groups like No Kidding! and ChildFree populate the Internet. Simon and co-author Ranae J. Evenson analyzed data from the National Survey of Families and Households, which was based on a sample of 13,000 U.S. adults. They found that no parental group did better than a childless group with similar education, economic and marital backgrounds. Married parents with minor children in the house did better than most. Married parents in general did better than single parents. Parents with noncustodial children and adult children at home report significantly higher symptom levels, the researchers said. In contrast to past research, even empty-nest parents were not happier than adults who never had children, they said. ‘‘Everything we did showed that parents did not fare better,’’ said Evenson. ‘‘I guess for nonparents, maybe there is some feeling of reassurance. It is OK not to have children.’’ The researchers surmise that part of the problem is that parents in the United States get little institutional support. Many lack extended family to help. Child care can be difficult to find and unsatisfactory. Older adults worry about their children even after they are out of the house. The researchers emphasized that they studied symptoms of depression — rather than a clinical diagnosis of depression. Those symptoms include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, loneliness, and sleep and eating difficulties. They did not get into people’s feelings toward meaning or purpose in life. Psychologist David Stoop of Newport Beach, Calif., said he wasn’t surprised by the conclusions. He said he isn’t sure whether parents get more depressed, but he knows they get depressed for different reasons. This is so especially for families in which both parents work, he said. ‘‘There is a lot of guilt. I see a lot of fatigue in parents trying to do everything,’’ he said. ‘‘It is just so overwhelming with what parents are expected to do with their kids today.’’

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! This morning when I woke up, I had 3 cards waiting for me, one from Coco, one from the 3 cats and one from Gary. They all thanked me for being such a wonderful mommy.. It was very sweet that they remembered me.

This weekend we headed up North. It was great to see my brother Dan who just graduated from college, and my sister, Andrea' who just graduated from High School. It's hard to believe that they are graduated. My sister Andrea is heading off to college in the fall, and my brother is trying to find a job. At anyrate, it was good to see family members and friends whom I haven't seen in yrs!

Today, Gary and I are heading to Lowe's for our Sunday ritual of walking through the entire store and looking at about the same things we usually look at. We normally start out in the garden center, head into the store and go from kitchen cabinets to counter tops, lightening, flooring and so on. Although it may sound a tad boring, it's actaully a good time. After Lowe's we are going to stop somewhere for lunch, get a few groceries and then head home. I need to do laundry!!

At anyrate, I hope everyone has a lovely Mother's Day!

Nothing New Here!

Not much has been happening here at the Osbeck household. Last night my sister and I headed to the mall and did a little shopping. Tonight I went and got my hair done. Now, I am usually blonde, however my hair dresser left in the color a little too long I think, because it looks like my hair could glow..Maybe not that bad, but I am a bleach blonde babe at this point.

This weekend we are heading up North for my sister, Andrea's open house. I can't believe she is graduating from high school already! Soon she will be in college..boy, do I feel old. Anyway, I have been preparing for our trip. Picking out clothes, deciding what I am going to wear. Tomorrow I go to my spray tan appointment so I will have a "summer" glow... I don't know why but I almost get a tad bit of anxioty getting everything prepared.

Now I am off to bed, I am tired, and slighty irritated. I have been watching American Idol... Chris got kicked off! Now I am very irritated by that. He was one of the best, although Taylor is my favorite..=) Anyway, have a good night!

Grandmother's Clock

Today Gary and I ventured over to his parents house. Once there, we decided to go to his Aunts house. Once there, Gary's Aunt wanted us to take his Grandmother's clock. This is a beautiful clock! It's actually called a Grandmother's clock, but it's like a Grandfather clock, just a tad smaller. It's an antique, and has weights and pedelum. It needs in to be worked on, but I am so excited about it! First of all, it's an heirloom, second of all it look so pretty in my house!

Last night some girls from work and I all went out to dinner. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life! After our dinner, we back to my house for some margrita's! YUMMY. Again, laughing uncontrollably . It's so nice to have some good friends to go do dinner and drinks.

I can't believe this weekend is almost over! I really just want to put some pj's on and lounge....therefore, I am going to get off this computer and change...

Have a great weekend!

When I get Old ...Well, older..

Many of you might have read the poem about wearing purple when you are old.. well, here is Jen's version..

When I am old I will wear big hats, and not just any big hat, hats with big flowers in bright colors. Hats that I secretly love now, but don't want to admit.

When I am old, I will wear metallic toned shoes, shoes that have rhinestones and flowers. I will wear sandals that shine in the sunlight!

When I am old, I will wear the biggest rings possible! Again, rings that I secretly love now, but know if I wore them, my friends would make fun of me..lol!.

When I am old, I will carry big, expensive purses. Purses that I can carry everything I need.

When I am old, I will wear as bright as lipstick as I desire, and not worry about fashion faux pax.

When I am old I will drive a convertable.

When I am old, I will have a cute, little white dog named "Marilyn Monore"

When I am old, I will look back on my life with no regrets. ...I hope.

Mondays..not so fun.

I am not so impressed with Mondays, never have, never will. They seem to be the longest, days. Today, I got up late, and then I was late to work (only by a minute, but still LATE) Once I got to work , I was called into the boss's office. She had been checking everyone's work and ran accross mine. She wanted to point some things that I wasn't doing right. Now, I am glad she is checking my work, because I am still fairly new at my job, and it's nice to know what needs to be improved. However, I have been working so hard to get things right, I just wanted to cry! I think she know I was on the verge of tears, because then she said, " you are very well." After our little meeting, the rest of the day went pretty smoothly. Our bosses ordered pizza for us...yummy!

Once I got home from work, Gary and I grilled for dinner, and sat out in our 3 seasons room and watched the news. After the news, I called my sister, and she just happened to be in our neighborhood test driving a car. So, she stopped in and we checked out her soon to be new wheels. It's a great looking car! It's a 2005 Nissan Altima, fully loaded..leather, bose stereo etc. Once my sister left, Gary and I went for a walk. It is so nice to be able to walk in our nice neighborhood, and enjoy all the pretty trees. Gary and I usually hold hands and talk about things we want to do to our yard. Anyway, now we are home, and settleing in for the night.. I am getting so sleepy!

Have a good night!