What is Happening?!

I try not to get political on here. 

I try to avoid stating my political views, 

or writing about things that will cause argument.

But something has happened recently, and I just can't let my mouth stay shut any longer.

Because I am just too disgusted.

The Maple Grove Senior High hockey team, if you haven't heard, has been involved in a scandal. 

Details haven't been disclosed officially, but, because of my location and networking, I have my own sources who have informed me of what happened.

Maybe they're inaccurate. 

But as I've heard the same story from several different people, I am going to assume that this is how it all went down...

13 boys hockey players had a sort of hazing ritual, where they created a sex tape involving raping an underage girl.

Not only is the act itself disgusting and appalling, but the reaction of the school and the parents is what really boils my blood. 

The school's response?

Suspending all 13 boys involved from two hockey games.

A couple of the boys were suspended from four.

These boys rape a girl, and their only consequence is missing two games.

Then, you have the parents of these boys making comments at a press conference, about how "Boys will boys," and they simply "made a mistake."

I want to vomit.

Your son was involved in a rape scandal.

A rape scandal where they video-taped what they were doing.

And all you have to say is freakin' "Boys will be boys."

You disgust me as a parent.

The boys returned to the ice Thursday to cheers from the Maple Grove crowd.

People cheered for these boys.

What the hell is wrong with society??
When did rape become okay?

It boils my blood, makes me sick to my stomach,and makes me want to just grab those boys by the shoulders and shake some sense into them...

...and their parents!

When did parents stop being parents??

How can you freakin' say "Boys will be boys"????

AHHHH!!!

Discipline your child!!

REACT!!

Don't be their friend!!

Let them know that what they did is NOT even a little bit okay!
Let them know you are embarrassed, disappointed, ashamed, angry, disgusted.

Because I hope beyond all hope that you ARE all those feelings, and more.

I hope, with every ounce of my being, that you don't truly believe "boys will boys" when it comes to rape.

Because that could be your daughter they did this to.

I don't get it. I don't freaking get it.

I wish the school would be harsher.

I wish the school would set the example for discipline, since the parents are not.

I wish we, and I mean all of society, would stop sending the message that athletes receive special treatment. 

I wish parents would actually parent. 

I graduated from Maple Grove, and I love the school.

I know this incident doesn't represent the entire school body and the school's reputation.

I know the school is bigger and better than what has happened.

But the way the school's reacting disappoints me. 

If we don't learn to stand hard on our morals, and to speak up when things like this happen, then yes, it's going to end up being a "Boys will boys" world when it comes to disgusting things like rape, because that is, sadly, what society is teaching them. 

Minor Leaguer

Well, it's official.

You can call me a crazy coupon lady.

Yup. I've got my binder and everything...

I'm not quite "crazy" yet...

I'm kinda in the minor leagues still.

Not up with the big gamers.

I started a few weeks ago, shortly after Thomas and I moved into our apartment.

I figured with all these additional bills now rolling in, wouldn't hurt to coupon.

Let's side track for a little bit...

Speaking of additional bills,

Ya know what's annoying?
School loans.

More specifically, the interest.

Let's just say interest in general, not just school loans.

It's so frustrating to watch my bank account gather interest at a rate of like .04% a month, when my school loans gather at like 6.0%.

Rude.

In a month on my bank accounts, I gain a few cents.

In a month on my loans, I gain a couple hundred.

Rude.

Annoying.

Anywho...

So, like I was saying, I coupon now. 

To help with bills.

I started off going to www.thekrazycouponlady.com, and that's how I organized my binder, and figured out a game plan for couponing.

The site is nice because it spills out all sorts of deals:

"Use this coupon with this sale item at this store and save this amount of money."

It's really easy to follow.

However, I don't use a lot of her shopping hints she gives.

Because this is my couponing plan...and maybe why you can't exactly call me a "crazy" coupon lady...

1. I don't use coupons for items Thomas and I don't need or use.

However, I still clip coupons for items we use, but may not need at the time, and save until they expire.

2.) I don't buy eight of the same item to get the free price.

For a couple reasons: one, I don't have access to that many newspapers to clip that many coupons. Two, we don't need eight boxes of cereal, or jars of mustard, or whatever it is. I try to be practical.

3.) I don't shop around my meal plans for the week.

Instead, I meal plan around my shopping. 

And I shop around my couponing.

I try to coupon items we need, mostly groceries. Then, I use what I've bought to decide what we're having for dinner that week. 

So I'm a couponer now.
Still in the minor leagues.

I don't put hours and hours into it. 

But I'm teaching myself.

Browse the ads. Clip. Figure out who has "Double Daze" coupons.

Shop.

I'm teaching myself.

I gotta be in the major leagues before we have kids.

That's when couponing is really going to be the most helpful!

ONE MORE!

Well, this is it.

Thomas is in the last week of his fourth semester at school. 

Do you know what that means??

Next week, he's on break.

Then, just ONE more semester left. 

One. 

I am SOOOO ready for him to be done.

Since before we were married, he's been in night school.

That means, four nights a week he's had school until 10:00.

Our entire marriage has been one night a week together, and every Sunday.

It's been annoying.

And I'm so grateful to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

However, there's something that's making that light just a little less brighter than I'd like it to be...

Thomas just got his schedule for next semester.

Instead of the usual four nights a week, he has class all five.

Monday through Friday.

And he works Saturday nights at Old Chicago...and he's on his third week in a row of working a double Saturday...

So what does this mean?
Sunday.

We have Sunday to spend together.

*Le Sigh*

That's the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

At least we're on the last semester.

LAST SEMESTER!
Eeeeek!

He's really loving school.

It's everything he wants to do in life...and he's really good at it!

I'm so grateful we found this school.

It's been a blessing for him!

On a side note:

More cooking accomplishments!

Sunday's afternoon dinner was...drum roll please....lamb chops!

And not just any lamb chops,

PERFECT lamb chops.

No, I'm not being egotistical here.

Okay, maybe a little bit...

But really, I impressed myself.

They were perfectly tender with a gorgeously delicious thin layer of crispy fat around the edges...gah! 

Wonderful.

Today I baked my first ever homemade bread.

Our apartment smells like heaven.

I wish I could send you a whiff.

Anywho, that's all the more exciting my life gets these days.

Cooking. 

But hey, I think that's pretty darn exciting. 

Isabelle Rose

It's been two months and one day since I lost our baby,

I think about her literally every day.
Every. Day.

Remember how I was sure the baby was a girl?

And we were going to name her Isabelle Rose?

Well, I work with some really cool women.

And they gave me a rose bush to plant on the due date of Isabelle Rose. 

It was to grow as she would have grown. 

It was very sweet and thought.

I loved it.

I still love it. 

In fact I think I love it even more these days.

You see, when we got the bush, it was empty.

I couple of dead looking brown sticks with thorns.

Well, now it looks like this:

It's growing like crazy!

It has rose buds about to blossom.

Lots of green tall stems and leaves.

It's already beautiful.

But the crazy thing is: We've never once watered it.

Not a drop.

All of a sudden, with nothing from us, it was growing.

Now, I don't know a thing about gardening or planting or rose bushes.

Maybe roses don't need water to grow.

I don't know.

But I'm telling myself they do need water. 

And that it somehow grew without water or any care.

And that makes this rose bush symbolizing my Isabelle Rose so beautiful.

The Wrong Generation

Well, the new year has begun, and I must say!!...

...it feels pretty normal.

Our New Year's was pretty low-key.

We had a game night just the two of us in our apartment, then watched some movies, and of course, the countdown to midnight.

We toasted our sparkling grape juice in our wine glasses, took a sip, and kissed to the beginning of a new year...

...and the beginning of new beginnings!

This year, I am guessing, will be a year of newness.

New apartment.

New sealed marriage.

New baby...hopefully at some point...growing in my tummy this year. 

New experiences.

New memories.

Just newness.

I'm usually not big on New Year's resolutions. 

I think they're kind of dumb.

In my opinion, you should be striving to be your best self all year, not just starting over on New Years.

But, I kinda caved this year.

And made a resolution.

Well, I just made this resolution today.

While on pinterest.

Can you figure it out??

Sewing.

I want to learn how to sew.

For myself...and our future kiddies.

I want to be able to sew blankets and quilts.

And all sorts of cute goodies!

Another thing I've started this year?

Couponing.

That's right.

The once cashier, hater of all couponers, is now a couponer herself.

It's actually kinda fun to do!

I made my coupon binder last week, it's already full of goodies, and I can't wait to use them!

Now that Thomas and I are finally living on own, couponing is basically a necessity. 

We'll see how it pans out.

The biggest lesson I've learned just from researching how to coupon??

Plan you meals around your groceries, not your groceries around your meals.

A {perfectly} cooked honey glazed ham. I just about peed
my pants with excitement when I took my first bite!
Seriously.

And might I just say, my meal making is outstanding these days!

I love having my own kitchen!!

I love cooking and baking and eating! 

:) 

In fact, there are two loaves of some yummy bread baking in the oven as we speak.

Or...ya know...I type...

It sure smells divine here!

And I am getting more and more confident in my cooking abilities every day!

I love being a wife.

Sometimes, I think I was born in the wrong generation.

Maybe I was meant to be in my grandmother's generation.

Because I want nothing more than to spend my days in the kitchen.

I love to cook.

I love to keep my home clean and tidy.

I love to pamper my husband.

And my dream job is a stay-at-home mom.

Some women these days would call me crazy.

I think they're the crazy ones. 

I apologize.
I feel like this post has gone off on several different tangents.

Well, now you have an idea of how my brain works!