My Opinions on Reality TV

It's summer vacation. It's hot as hell outside. I've been watching a lot (too much) of TV and have a little to say about some Reality TV shows. Let's get this out of the way... Reality TV is not "real." I'm not saying it is- and I don't care that it's not. For what it is... here's what I think:


The Bachelorette

Seriously, this show is such crap. It's completely ridiculous that anyone could really find the love of their life by being put in unrealistic dating situations with 20 completely self-absorbed (albeit good-looking) guys, interviewing them about how they "feel" about the bachelorette dozens of times before they even get to know her, and of course, making out with as many of them as possible per episode.

That said... I love this show! I love the stupid drama and the fake-realness of it. It cracks me up! I honestly don't think there is legitimate chemistry/feelings between Jillian or any of the guys on the show. Seems completely set up to me. I'm sad that she sent Tanner home. He was so amusing, with his foot fetish and all.

I'm going to make my prediction now. Jillian is going to pick... Ed! That's who I would pick anyway. He seems the most like a normal guy. I would have said for her to pick Kipton- but come on, Kipton? The name alone... plus- his family were so pretentious. Not the family I'd want to spend the rest of my Christmases with, ya know?


The Real Housewives of (Fill in City Here)

Awesome. I love, love, love The Housewives! Each city has it's mix of delectable drama that I just can't get enough of!!! The more outrageous the woman- the more I love her!

Who could tire of watching Alex and Simon's kids act like little assholes? Or, watching Vicki act like an attention starved five-year-old? What about Kelly's "conservative" Halloween costume? Teresa's table-flip? And how about finding out that NeNe's daddy wasn't really her daddy? (NeNe is Sean's grandmother's name, coincidentally.)

That's good TV, people. Keep it coming, Bravo, I salute you.


John and Kate Plus Eight

Of course divorce was inevitable! Did anyone else watch The Newlyweds? Being video-taped 24-7 makes husbands and wives hate each other- or is it the money that makes them turn into entitled, selfish versions of their once lovable selves?

Let's think about this for a minute... quit the show and work on your marriage, or divorce and continue with the show at the expense of your children's privacy?

I know, I know- I'm not there. I don't know what's really going on in the marriage. All I know is that it sure seems like a lot of married couples out there are turning into children, refusing to actually communicate, and are victims of " the grass is greener" syndrome. It's not people. The grass is NOT greener.


I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

Please, I don't watch this. Even I have my limits. Heidi and Spencer? Who the hell are they?


Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood

Oh, Tori and Dean, how I love you!

I read her first book... very fun! She's just funny- and very, very relateable (aside from growing up with more money than I'd see in five lifetimes of being a teacher). You've got to hand it to her- she's a hard worker. As far as the "mom drama"- there's two sides to that story, but I won't read about the other one. It's messed up... let's move on tabloids.

If any TV couple ever reminded me of Sean and me, it's Tori and Dean (minus the previous marriages, affair, and two children). Tori and Dean are loving, goofy, slightly perverted, and funny- it's me and Sean! I'm neurotic and have a habit of sharing TMI with near strangers- like Tori, and Sean has obsessive hobbies- dog training and duck hunting- and is basically a big kid who is always ready to play- like Dean.

I love watching them. They are so cute! I will cry if they divorce. I was distressed with John and Kate, almost cried over Nick and Jessica, but I will totally sob if Tori and Dean split up.

My only question is this: what should Tori do when Liam throws his melt-down fits? I've heard of the "Terrible Twos" but I haven't heard what to do about them? Do you ignore? Do you spank? Do you time-out? Hmmm...


The Little Couple

Let's face it- little people are fascinating (case in point- 1/2 the shows on TLC are about babies/multiples and women who didn't know they were pregnant, the other half are about little people.). I've only seen one episode so far... but I've begun Tivo-ing and will definitely keep watching. Did you know that the little wife is a doctor in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital? I am so impressed with that. First- I love anyone who wants to help babies survive and thrive. Second- I love anyone who can embrace their differences and push past a challenging circumstance in their life to reach a goal. Inspirational. Plus- she's adorable!


Eighteen Kids and Counting

Some may say that they can't stomach this family's wholesome values. I eat it up. I have watched every episode of this series (two times the episode where they welcome number eighteen), and it took me a while to realize what I like so much about it.

I love how happy they are. They aren't looking for anything. They're not trying to be anything other than who they are- and they're totally content with that. They don't judge anyone else- they just live their lives according to what they believe is best, and put all their trust in God.

I especially love mom- Michelle. Do you ever see her worrying about what she's going to wear to dinner? Have you ever seen her complain? About anything? This woman has been pregnant for years (not consecutively, but literally- years) and doesn't have a single negative thing to say about it. She continually serves God and her family and is totally happy doing just that. Even Sean (who can't help but watch some of "my shows" from time to time) says "she's an amazing woman."

I love they way they value their family- and especially- how Jim Bob (wow) and Michelle value their marriage. They are so kind and respectful of each other. I love how they treat each other, and how they speak about each other.

Some (OK, most) reality TV shows leave me feeling dumber for having watched it, but Eighteen Kids and Counting makes me feel like I've learned more about the kind of person I want to be. I have a lot of respect for this family.


I'm slightly embarrassed that this entire post is about Reality TV- and there are several shows that I watch that I haven't even touched (Dancing With the Stars, Big Brother, Project Runway...). You don't have to tell me... I know I'm a huge nerd.

Officially Married Online!

I finally changed my google profile and email account from Lovejoy to Hale. I figure we've made it two years so far so I guess there's a pretty good shot we'll stay married for a while.

Sean's been bugging me about using my old email account and having my profile under my maiden name... so I thought I'd do him a big one and change it all over once and for all (big pain by the way).

JoDee Lovejoy is no more. So, if you see a comment or get an email from JoDee Hale- that's me! :)

Not Working is Amazing

For those who feel teachers are not adequately compensated, I would just like to say "SUMMER VACATION." Would I take a larger paycheck- especially when I'm dealing with the same stinker and his parents over and over all year long... YES. But I honestly feel pretty darn lucky sitting here at my computer with my dog at my feet at 9:12 am on a Tuesday. No pressing agenda. No scary,long To-Do list.



I woke up around 7:30 and took Jet for a walk. When we got home, around 8:30, Jet got some water and I had a smoothie. The rest of my day looks pretty good too. I'm going to pull some weeds from our beds out front, then maybe do some yoga. I'll put a roast on for dinner later and possibly vaccum and sweep while it's cooking. We've got some family coming over for dinner tonight- and I don't have to rush to prepare. This is just amazing. I wonder if I can fit a nap in there somewhere?





New summer plan:



1. Wake up every morning and take Jet for a walk.

2. Keep house clean by doing a little every day.

3. Eat healthy.

4. Read a book all the way through.

5. Do a few projects around the house.

6. Rest and relax.





We have a couple of trips planned- to Dallas to visit the sweetest twin girls possibly ever born (and their parents of course), and to Wisconsin to visit my family. Other than that... we're going to take it easy! I love taking it easy. And I love not working!!

The Last Day of School

Driving to school this morning, I was already teary-eyed. Where did the time go?

My mind was swimming with sentimental thoughts, "This was the sweetest class I've ever had!" "I'm going to miss these kids!" "This year flew by too fast!"

Minutes after the bell rang, I received all sorts of sweet gifts, candy, and cards. More tears.

"Mrs. Hale is crying! Mrs. Hale is crying!" Twenty little faces turn to see if it's true... yes. It's true.


Several hours then pass in which all of the following occur:

• laughing
• screaming
• climbing the bookshelves to "help" clean the room
• running
• hitting with rulers
• hitting with hands
• one kick to a shin
• one shouting out of "Jesus Christ!" (Not by me.)
• several name callings
• one pull-out into the hallway for an intervention

I think this is God's way of making saying good-bye much, much, much easier. No more tears. Just a big smile and wave as they all file out. "See ya!"

Back Again

I’ve been away. Let me explain…

1. The last few weeks of school are CRAZY. I end up working so much, so many late nights, so many meetings… I get worn out. I’ve been so tired. I end up neglecting everything that isn't necessary to do instantly. (Friday is my last day. Hallelujah!)

2. I found out Memorial Day weekend that my parents are separating. A very sad three day weekend.

I am the oldest of four. My parents got married and had me very young. They have been married for nearly 30 years. I can’t say I was totally surprised when I found out, but it was still shocking. It is so, so hard to hear that hurt in your parents’ voices and realize that your family will never be the same.

I had known for a while that there was trouble in paradise. You’d have to be comatose not to pick up on the tension. It was easy to ignore, but it was there for years. As the whole story actually unfolded, I felt like I was in a Lifetime Movie. Nuff said.

Now, a couple of weeks later, I’m feeling OK. Normal, day to day life for me is going to be relatively the same. It’s nice that I already have my own home and don’t have to live right in the middle of it. I know that holidays are going to be complicated. Family get-togethers are going to be complicated. For instance… Sean and I want to have our families over for dinner this weekend. Do I invite Mom or Dad? Who will be less offended if they are not invited? Surely they’re not OK to be around each other yet and I don’t want this to turn into huge drama. Or, do I call them and say “I want you both to be there. Suck it up.” Doubtful. I'm sure it's just going to take some time. We'll figure out something that works, I hope.

Oh! I almost forgot! Two days after this news broke... I lost my wedding ring. We've backtracked so many times. We've looked everywhere we can think of. Sean thinks that when he was taking out the trash one morning, he scooped trash off the kitchen counter, and swept the ring in the can right along with it. It makes me sick to think that my beautiful ring is just sitting in a pile of trash somewhere.

Luckily we had the engagement ring insured (not the new setting, of course) so we'll get to replace at least that part. Sean wants to replace the entire ring just as we had it, and I hope we can. We'll see. There are lots of things that we could spend that money on, so I'm not sure what to do. I also feel incredibly guilty about losing it, and I don't think I really deserve to get a new one. It sucks. Sean was so sweet about it all. As I was bawling my eyes out, feeling like a total idiot, he says, "It was just a thing. We haven't lost anything important. You and I are right here and we're better than ever. It was just a ring and it can be replaced." What a guy.

Man, this whole post is kind of a downer. I'm actually feeling pretty good now. I've had some time to process and things are looking up. I'm soooo ready for a break from everything. Summer vacation starts next week? Perfect timing.

A Perfect Day

Sean and I went back to the beach last weekend with Uncle Butch. While the men worked on siding and bathroom walls, Jet and I went down to the water to play.

We wore ourselves out!

Uterus- A+!!!

I had my HSG today and wonderful news- everything looks great! According to the radiologist, there is no scar tissue from my surgery, and both my tubes are open! (It feels so good to type that. I just let out a huge sigh.)

I was nervous about the procedure, but not nearly as crazy-nervous as I was about the surgery. I felt like I might cry as I laid down on the table, but I held it together. And it wasn't really that bad. As soon as they inserted the dye, it was actually pretty cool to watch and it distracted me from the cramping. After about 10 minutes, we were done!

I called Sean as I left the hospital parking lot, and told him the good news. He is never really that chatty over the phone, so I didn't expect a huge gushing of emotion. He seemed cool as a cucumber about it, but when he got home he gave me a hug that lasted 15 minutes and I knew he was relieved! He never really says what he's thinking when he's emotional- he just hugs! I got about three more bear hugs after that first monster hug! I know he's really excited.

I haven't gotten my "A-OK" to start trying again from Dr. Levin, but we're going to start anyway! I think the radiologist's report will say exactly what she told me in person, and I'm sure Dr. Levin will say to start! I'm leaving this slight detail out for Sean because he's such a rule follower that if he knew I was supposed to wait for Dr. Levin to give her blessing, he would say "wait". At this point in time, Sean knows everything looks good- and he's turned that into "A-OK" on his own... so I'm rolling with it. No need to be nit-picky. :)

Now, I feel crampy, but relieved. I feel really at peace about everything. I know it may still take several months to get pregnant and I'm prepared to be patient and trust that His timing is going to be perfect. I just feel really good about trying this time. (So good, in fact, that I just took my prenatal vitamins for the first time in over a month. I HATE swallowing big pills so I just kept putting it off. But now it feels like it could really happen so I better start taking them!)

When we began trying nearly a year ago, it didn't feel right. I felt like something was off. Woman's intuition? I'm glad I took the advice some of you gave me to see the doctor about my concerns. I'm amazed at how the little things that seem like trivial decisions that we make everyday lead us to where we need to be. It's so nice to know that He is in control, and I can just relax and trust in Him.

And so now, as far as I can see, my baby-making equipment is ready to go! I think Sean's feeling the pressure now, because he said, "Now we just have to hope I've got good swimmers." :)