1:25pm: When all that we need is just a reaction...
No real reason for an update, just didn't want to get stuck in my non-LJ rut again. We're still waiting to close on the house. We did the walk-through with the contractor on Monday. Basically what's going to happen is that any work that needs to be done will be taken care of by the contractor and then tacked onto our mortgage. There's really nothing big, just small fix-it's, flooring & carpeting. He overestimated on repairing the plumbing in case the water heater is bad and we're replacing both doors totally. His high end estimate is 7K and that only adds on $20 a month to our mortgage. WHO CARES?!?! That's nothing and it'll be worth it to not have to stress over anything. I am so, so, so excited and antsy to close. I just want to start working in there already! It's only been a month and a half since we got it, but it feels like FOREVER.

I've also been shopping for kids lately. The older I get, the more sold I am on adopting. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have my own kids, but between Shaun & I we're looking at tens of thousands of dollars just to maybe get pregnant. Plus, I have no wish to squeeze anything out of my vagina. I figure I'm old enough that I would have gotten over that by now, but no dice. So anywho, I've been looking into everything for adoption in Michigan. I don't mean right this second, but maybe in a couple of years everything will just feel right. I've got my career, my house (almost), and a dude that I think would be there through thick & thin. The only thing that bothers me is that Shaun's family is very defined by blood & marriage. Like, there are things that I can't come to because a) I'm not a blood relative or b) I'm just a girlfriend. My family has NEVER been that way and I just don't understand it. Shaun has sworn up and down that he would love an adopted kid the same as his own children, but I'm worried that his family wouldn't. It's not going to stop me from adopting since my family would be plenty for anybody, but it makes me sad to think that they'd be missing out on things their sisters have. It would be hard enough to be adopted, let alone to be treated diffently. I don't know, just something for me to think about.

REO Speedwagon, Styx, & .38 Special tomorrow night with Shaun, Nik & Julie. Yes, I'm a hick.

4H fair Friday & Saturday with Shaun & the girls. Yep, still a hick.

I also found this article that I found pretty interesting. It seems to explain a lot of my life!
( Do men really want to get married? )

And that's the unexcitement that is my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

3:15pm: Say you'll always be there to hold me...
I've been a huge music whore lately. If you haven't checked out my community, Lyrical Diary yet, check it out. Hit the memories or tag sections and I'm sure you'll find something you like!

Okay, enough gratuitous promoting.

5:21pm: Take this weight off my shoulders ...
In honor of what would have been Marcus' 4th birthday, I thought I would repost about the magnets that we have available. Spread the word about responsible driving!



We're selling these for $8 if anyone is interested! They're 8" Magnets (the kind you normally see on a car). These are in loving memory of Marcus May-Cook (6.24.2005 - 8.10.2008) who passed away because of a car accident caused by an unlicensed driver. The accident occured on 8.8.08 in Lansing, MI.

We combined the following:
Dark blue ribbon = Victim's Rights
Green ribbon = Driver's Safety
White ribbon = Innocence

You can send money via paypal to jendaswims@gmail.com or checks, cash & money orders via postal mail to:

Jenda Swims
5529 Joshua St.
Apt. 8
Lansing, MI
48911

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks everyone!

Older posts about Marcus:
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243729.html
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243524.html
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243423.html

Marcus' Memorial myspace
http://www.myspace.com/marcusmaycook

3:10pm: Everything I need is not really what I want...
Interesting article. I've thought about this subject a lot and it's nice to know I'm not crazy.

( When does a couple become a family? )

11:20am: What do they know...
( Roma )

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2009/06/20/news/srv0000005639779.txt

This is the only article so far on Roma's death. The comments make me absolutely sick. This same thing happened when Marcus passed away and I will never understand why a newspaper would leave these sorts of articles open for comment. Losing someone you love is hard enough, should you have to read the blatant lies and garbage that people litter the pages with? Sometimes people disgust me.

1:38pm: They were appreciated for taking on the challenge of you...
My Uncle Mike's sister was hit & killed by a drunk driver last night while walking in her apartment complex. She died instantly and the driver was arrested. I feel so horrible for my cousins and my Aunt & Uncle. She watched my cousin Kyle for most of his life and his open house is next weekend, I'm sure he's devastated. RIP Roma, you'll be missed.

This follows on the heels of Donnie Gibson dying, too. I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but he was killed in a car accident a few weeks ago. I hadn't talked to him in years, but we grew up together so it really hit close to home with my family.

It just makes me sick when I think about all of these things that keep happening. I would say it's becuase we're getting older and our social circles age as well, but the things I've been experiencing lately have nothing to do with that. It just sucks.

9:28am: Try screaming at a wall but one day it's gonna fall...
A new study suggests that we lose and replace about half of our friends every seven years and that only 30% of the original "helper" friends hold the same position after 7 years. Pretty interesting and spot-on when you think about it...

( Here's the full article )

And a link to where you can get the actual study

8:07am: Blessed with this gift since the day before Christmas...
Heading out to the Downtown Social Hour tonight with Tory & Jessi (when she gets off work). I haven't been in a couple of months, so I'm looking forward to it even though I can't really spend any money. We have everything all set for the house, we're just waiting for them to turn on the utilities so we can get our home inspection done. Then it's closing time - I'm getting so excited!!

On a sad note, my friend Ken's dad passed away. I'll be heading out to Waterford Thursday night for the viewing. We're getting to that age where it's not that crazy to lose your parents, which is a super depressing thought. I still have my grandparents - which I know is pretty crazy - but I couldn't imagine it any other way. I did lose my Step-Grandpa when I was 8, but I can't really remember him even though he had been there most of my life. I hate to say that, but it's the sad truth. Growing up sucks.

Friday night is a bowling fundraiser for my graduating class. Me, Shaun, Nikki & Robert are all going. It's at Taylor Lanes and registration is at 6. It's not just for our class, so if anyone would like to join - The more, the merrier! It's $20 for 3 games, shoes, and a slice of pizza.

11:20am: I can't get back to where I used to be
Here are the pics of our house. As you can tell, it needs a ton of cleaning, paint, and all-around elbow grease. We should close by the end of the month, keep checking back here for info on painting parties! :) We're also tearing up all of the carpet and just leaving the hardwood floors and redoing both of the bathrooms. Anywho, on to the pics... (Don't mind the blurriness or children in every picture!)

( Our house )

7:43am: Play me any day and I'll be the best racist...
So, I forgot to put some big news here on good 'ol LJ. I'm buying a house! It's here in Lansing - 4 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, full basement, hardwood floors, deck off the front & back, fenced yard, shed, new siding/roof. It's 2 blocks from Mindy and best of all - I got it for 35K. It needs some work, but mostly cosmetic. We'll be closing by the end of June/beginning of July and then our lease is up at the apartment August 25th. The girls will have their own rooms, which they're super geeked for. The 2 upstairs bedrooms are painted and wallpapered for them already. One is Pink with Barbie border & one is Purple with Strawberry Shortcake border. I forgot to mention that their mom is pregnant with another girl, so they're like, triple excited to have their own space. Mindy's dad & uncle are going to redo the bathrooms for us and do most of the work we need done, so that should save us some $$. I'm uber excited and I think this will be awesome for all of us (except Shaun since he'll have to mow the lawn all of the time). I want to eventually get new windows, add an attached garage, and finish the basement. All in due time...

I hadn't mentioned this here, but Mindy is pregnant. She's the one who lost her 3 year old son in the car accident last year. She's due in September and she's having another boy. It's very hard for her, but I think this will be a good thing for her & her daughter. We also still have magnets for sale in honor of Marcus. The info on those is here. Please buy one - they're cheap and for a great cause. Thanks to Shaun, Nikki, Jessi & Lindsay for buying one already! Our goal is to get his name & face out there to remind people to drive responsibly. He's been to 2 other states on my car and Lindsay lives in Ohio, so let's go for all 50! We're also ordering smaller versions for refrigerators and such if anyone is interested in those.

I'm back to work and it's insanely busy. Hence, the light blogging and backlog of pictures. I'll catch up one day, I promise!

We had a huge scare with my Grandpa a few weeks ago, but my Grandma broke him out of the nursing home and he's back home with her now. It's so scary and heart-breaking to see how dependent he's become. He's always been a man's man and I know it just kills him to ask for help and to not be able to drive. I love him so much and couldn't imagine losing him. I've been heading out to Taylor about once a week to see him, but with the house stuff right now, my money will be tight.

I think that's about it for now. More later hopefully!

4:35pm: I finally got the pics from Chicago up and semi-sorted. These are from Easter weekend with Nikki, Paige & Shaun. We had a blast!

Here they be.

11:55pm: So I was supposed to go to the EL Art Festival wih my women's group Saturday morning, but today I decided not to go because of A) work and B) it's at 10 am on a Saturday. Anywho, I find this out today and almost shit. I would have BEEN THERE when these zombies started rambling around and I would have killed myself. For real.

3:53pm: Just a head's up - we got another shipment of Marcus' magnets in. Jessi & Nikki - I have yours. Was there anybody else that wanted one? They're $8 a piece and they go for an awesome cause. See my LJ a few entries back for the picture and explanation...

2:24pm: I realized it slipped my mind here in LJ-land, but the new company (PHS) called me the Thursday before last and asked me to come work for them. I've been back just over a week and it is a total mess. I'm really not complaining, though - I'm just glad to have my baby back!! Infectious Disease became my little bastard step-child through the years and I've never been more excited to come to work. I got a little bit of a raise, but no benefits. That sucks, but supposedly it's going to change soon. Unemployment didn't have benefits either, so I can't really complain.

My Grandpa ended up back in the hospital Saturday after a pretty bad scare. I went home Saturday night feeling better about it since they thought it was only a urine infection. Then yesterday morning I got a call from my Dad to tell me that we almost lost him Sunday night. Apparently, his sugar fell to 30 and according to the Doctor's, he should have been dead. He went unresponsive, but somehow pulled through. He was going for a stress test today and then they're sending him to a nursing home for a few weeks to get his strength back. It sucks so, so bad and I can't even fathom losing him. I wish they could just figure out what the problem is so he can get better.

Saturday night, Nikki & Robert came out and we had seriously the most ridiculous bar night ever. It was awesome. Robert stole a pitcher of beer, we played Super Sloppy Double Dare, and Shaun had to make like, 3 Taco Bell runs for us because there was a gun fight in the parking lot. Spectacular pictures to come in 8,000 years.

Anywho, ACen Thursday!

11:19am: The one that lies close to me...

Today is mine & Shaun's 3 year anniversary. 

Time flies when you're having fun you're old and boring.

4:26pm: Back to work and busy, busy, busy! The weekend can't come fast enough...

1:07pm:

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

10:35pm: I feel like poo today. I'm not hungover or anything, but my guts haven't quit squirming around since I woke up. Thank God I don't have work tomorrow!

11:29pm: Attn: Fellow ACen Goers

We just bought tickets to the Star Trek premiere for Thursday, 5/7/09 @ 10:05 pm. (Not the VIP tickets, just regular ones.) The theater is on Bryn Mawr right by the hotel. The website is http://www.muvico.com and it's the Rosemont, IL one, obviously. If you want to go with us, buy your tickets and we can all carpool.

11:24pm: Never been here, never coming back...
Shaun & I went to Applebee's & the bar last night to watch the MSU game. I had a lot of fun, it was bumpin' - and he even played darts with me! I love nights like that...

Tomorrow we're heading out to Redford for my cousin's birthday and then it's Chicago with Nikki & the boy on Friday - woo hoo!

Also, 311's new single was released. It's called "Hey You" - check it out. Me, Shaun, Nikki, kC & Ed are going to see them in June with Ziggy Marley, which I'm totally geeked for. Nikki also convinced me to go to the REO Speedwagon & Styx concert in July at DTE. We went to see New Kids on the Block last weekend and it kicked so much ass. We had awesome seats. Jabbawockeez opened and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them. Julie ended up getting the night off and meeting us here in Lansing and my mom let Paigey go, so no tickets went to waste. I was so excited. It was Paige's first concert, which is hilarious since NKOTB was my first concert, too. I think we all had fun and they played a long ass show, which was awesome.

Anywho, picture time!
Friends
Gabby's 1st birthday!
Indiana - Oct '08
William's 3rd birthday

1:50pm: "Aw, that's adorable - you have a crush on yourself. I'd be careful, the guy you're in love with is a douche."


I love Scrubs.

3:54pm:

NKOTB tickets for sale!!

The concert is this Saturday, 4/4 @ 7:30 pm. It's in Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena, Section 107, row E. They're $75 a piece, so it would be $150 for both. That's what we paid after all of the fees and stuff. Let me know here, on my cell (313.737.3007), or by e-mail (jendaswims@gmail.com). Me & Nikki are going, so these are 2 extras. Anyone can meet at my house and follow us there if you want, also...

2:46pm:



We're selling these for $8 if anyone is interested! They're 8" Magnets (the kind you normally see on a car). These are in loving memory of Marcus May-Cook (6.24.2005 - 8.10.2008) who passed away because of a car accident caused by an unlicensed driver. The accident occured on 8.8.08 in Lansing, MI.

We combined the following:
Dark blue ribbon = Victim's Rights
Green ribbon = Driver's Safety
White ribbon = Innocence

You can send money via paypal to jendaswims@gmail.com or checks, cash & money orders via postal mail to:

Jenda Swims
5529 Joshua St.
Apt. 8
Lansing, MI
48911

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks everyone!

Older posts about Marcus:
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243729.html
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243524.html
http://jenda.livejournal.com/243423.html

Marcus' Memorial myspace
http://www.myspace.com/marcusmaycook

7:00pm:

1,000 journal entry!

I'm lame.

1:59pm:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FATTY McFATPANTS!!

My little baby Kyou is 8 today. How time flies...