Juno

Yeah, I finally watched it. I must say I loved it and not just because Jason Bateman is in it! It kept my interest the entire time. The story was really well told. I actually had a few tears when she was talking with her dad toward the end.

David Cook

Today's wish list item...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5fBx8JLoQ

Nope not his album - I have that. I'll take him. He's a beautiful man. The eyes alone make me happy. That's all.

One Word

Thanks Courtney for this great idea :)

TYPE ONLY 1 WORD. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK ! ! !
Where is your cell phone? table
Your significant other? unknown
Your hair? lovely
Your mother? loving
Your father? supportive
Your favorite thing? Starbucks
Your dream last night? roadtrip
Your favorite drink? soda
Your dream/goal? house
The room you're in? living
Your fear? loneliness
Where do you want to be in 6 years? married
Where were you last night? church
What you're not? energized
Muffins? costco
One of your wish items? lottery
Where you grew up? everywhere
The last thing you did? comment
What are you wearing? yoga
Your tv? fuzzy
Your pet? adopted :)
Your computer? laptop
Your life? blessed
Your mood? distracted
Missing someone? friends
Your car? payments
Something you're not wearing? jewelry
Favorite store? penneys
Your summer? crazy
Your favorite color? paprika
When is the last time you laughed? work
Last time you cried? weeks
Your sign? gemini

Three places I go over and over? work, church, starbucks
Three of my favorite foods? chocolate, chinese, mexican
Three places I would rather be right now? bed, beach, out of escrow

something to tide you over...

I know I haven't posted in FOR-EVER but I promise I will shortly. I have some really BIG news coming so be on the lookout!

Until then...enjoy this bit of randomness I found on the web today. I'm all for passionate kisses but this is ri-dang-diculous!!

The kiss of deaf - Chinese man ruptures girlfriend's eardrum
Mon Dec 8, 2008 12:52pm EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - A young woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss, local media reported Monday.

The 20-something girl from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear, the China Daily said, citing a report in a local newspaper.

"The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear," the paper quoted a doctor surnamed Li from the hospital as saying.

The woman's hearing would likely return to normal after about two months, Li said.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution," the paper said.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Be safe out there everyone!

10 Random Things about Me and Food

Courtney tagged me!

List 10 random things about yourself and FOOD...

1. I am allergic to honeydew melon. One fourth of July when I was around 10 we figured this out the hard way. I ate a bunch of it, then went to bed. I woke up itching something fierce and found huge blotches on my torso and upper thighs -- HIVES!! My mom called the doctor and he said to get me some Benadryl asap. So mom and I went to the store as soon as it opened (this was before 24 hr anything) and got some. It was awful and now I avoid it at all costs. Mixed fruit salads are like Russian roulette!

2. If I am wearing a white shirt, chances are I will spill on it within moments of beginning a meal.

3. I can't eat anything too spicy...and by too spicy I mean anything more than Taco Bell mild sauce. I blame my Scandinavian roots.

4. I've discovered that freshly made guacamole with cilantro in it makes me very sick to the point of food poisoning symptoms. For this reason, I detest El Pollo Loco where cilantro is the main frickin ingredient!

5. I love Indian food. I was afraid of it until I found out they had 'mild' alternatives. Bring me butter chicken and garlic na'an and I'm a happy woman...with a curry high.

6. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love all the food, plus there's football on tv all day. It's a wonderful thing.

7. I used to be really good at baking chocolate cookies from scratch but they don't turn out anymore....so I just buy the pre-made cookie dough and throw it in the oven.

8. My mom's side of the family gets together every Christmas eve for dinner; a tradition my Grandma started way back when. We have Swedish meatballs, scalloped potatoes, corn, rolls....you get the idea. Everything is sooo good!

9. I go through spurts of eating only one or two types of food at a time. I blame my singleness. I'll boil some eggs and make egg salad mix that will last me for a whole week of lunches. Or, I'll buy some cheese and eat grilled cheese for days. Or, I'll eat instant potatoes for dinner every night. Or I'll throw a couple of chicken breasts and tater tots in the toaster oven for a few meals in one week. I don't really get tired of eating the same thing.

10. I can eat ice cream any time, any day, any place. And I can eat lots of it.

There you have it! I tag Jessica, Mandy and Sonia.

Whew...what a week!

I just completed one of the best and worst weeks of my life. It started out badly with some major stuff at work, but as the week went on it got better and better! There are a few pictures below but well, if you know me you can probably check them out once I get them loaded onto myspace.

Thursday night I went with Danae to see Matt Nathanson and Jessie Baylin. Although we couldn't take flash photography during the show, I took some of me and Danae beforehand. Yeah yeah I tried to take some of the concert itself but none of them turned out very clearly. Oh and we won't talk about the annoying little boy who fidgeted the whole time the concert was going.

Me & Danae

Friday was Halloween. I used to hate Halloween, now I kinda like it. My whole department dressed up like cats. It was fun! Then I went to go see grandpa and auntie at both of their nursing homes. Then....it was off to my church's Harvest Party.

Me and Auntie Onie

Meow!!

The cutest grandpa EVER!

My friend Shelly stayed over so we could get an early start on Saturday morning. For the record, 4:00 a.m. really sucks. We were on the road to LA a little after 5:00. We got caught in three or four downpours but we made it there in about five hours.

Downpour #2 (on the Grapevine)

We got into Universal Citywalk just in time to see star after star from Days of Our Lives signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. We got in line too. Again another uncommon California downpour. The security rushed the actors inside and we waited out the storm. Shelly and I went up to a different area where the line was shorter. We got autographs and a picture with a group up there.

Next we ate lunch since we really hadn't eaten yet. After lunch, we decided to get in line to meet our favorite, Allison Sweeney (Biggest Loser host) and two of our favorite actors Bryan Datillo and Shawn Christian. We waited for three hours through a brief sunshiney moment followed by another awful downpour but it was soooo worth it! I got to take a picture with 'Dr. Daniel Jonas'!!! OMG!! Allison (Sami) commented that my hair looked amazing despite the rain. I asked for a photo and she said, 'just cozy in next to Bryan and we can all be in one together'.....ummm OK!!

Holy crap...wewerethisclose!! I think I flicked him in the face with my hair. oopsie!!

Oh, that's just me with Lucas and Sami...er, I mean Bryan Datillo and Ali Sweeney

The cast waved to the crowd at the end of the day.

Next chapter...Dinner and Griffith Park

Deep thoughts I ponder

I realized during conversations and bible studies that we are among a world that doesn't get Christianity. I've never been without it so I don't know how it feels to not be a Christian. I'm in a bible study (Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore) right now that explains it this way:

"Imagine you need to fax something to someone who doesn't have a fax machine. You can dial the number and press the button to send it until your thumb falls off, but it won't go through."

There is a lot of need in this world to get the Truth out - even the simplest of it. There's a lot of confusion about the bible. Hopefully I can help be a fax machine for someone.

Like sands through the hourglass...

If you didn't already know, I'm a pretty big Days of our Lives fan. Have been for over 20 years. It's a dumb soap, I know but I love it. I'll admit it. I think of the people on the show as part of my life -- I mean, I've known them for over 20 years!

I've never really missed too much either. I faithfully watch every episode I can. I've often said I really can't stop, I'm emotionally invested!

Anyway, imagine my excitement when I hear they're having a Fanfest **cue the trumpets and fanfare** So I talked to my good friend who is also a long-time fan and we're planning a drive to southern California on Nov. 1st if we can work out all the details (remember Halloween is the night before).

I wouldn't be so tempted if the thing wasn't totally FREE! I mean, come on!! All we have to do is drive to Universal Studios to meet all of our favorite actors?? Okay!!

TV Junkie

I'm a tv junkie. I'll admit it. I love watching tv. I'm really good at it.

But you know what happened? The tv gods created more networks and channels. Then they started making really good quality tv shows on all those networks. Now someone like me has to choose between watching one show while taping/DVRing another, or God forbid miss it altogether.

So the internet gods came around and started posting network tv shows on network websites. Now I have to check what shows are posted, which ones are not, and which ones I'm willing to catch later on DVD or reruns.

I'm a bit of a tv snob too. If I don't see a show from the beginning, I usually won't watch it. With the exception of Seinfeld and King of the Hill, this has stood the test of time.

My goal is that soon I will get a DVR that can record two shows at once and keep unholy amounts of tv at my fingertips in a little box in my living room. Until then, I have to check the VHS tapes frequently to make sure there's enough room to record stuff.

But wait....what's this? Hulu.com?? You mean, I can have a DVR-type website on my computer?? And it's free?? What????

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...I'm so loving this!!

Sweet little Cassie Leigh

In July 1992, I had just turned 20 years old. I remember my dad driving us over to grandma and grandpa's house. Then we saw that the neighbors had some Chihuahua/Terrier mix puppies so we headed over there. The little runt came bouncing over to me and sat on my lap. My dad told the guy, "we'll take her!".

I got to name her - Cassie Leigh. I can't remember why I picked the name but I thought it was cute! Cassie slept in my room an in my bed every night. She was the sweetest little puppy! She'd crawl under the covers to snuggle in the warmth then inevitably get overheated and crawl back to the top, sticking her little tongue out panting. So funny! That's her up there next to dad's Gold Panning Association of America hat. You gotta love retired rednecks, eh?


One of Cassie's favorite people (besides me of course!) is my dad. When he would step outside to smoke, he would say 'go for smoke?' to her and she would RUN outside! He always called her his "baby girl". They had a pretty adorable bond.

Eventually, I moved out of my parents' house three years later. I would go visit her every day during my lunch time and let her out for my parents who were both working in Modesto. This continued til my mom and dad retired about four years ago.

Sadly since then I didn't really visit often. Life got busy and I knew mom and dad were taking good care of her. But every time I walked in and said her name she came running right over.

Boy, she was spry! She jumped so high and far even in her older years that people never guessed her to be as old as she was.

For the last year she's been slowly failing. She reached 16 in July of this year. I had previously told my mom if she and dad needed to, they could put her to sleep when she became too hard to take care of.

Well, in late August my mom called me to tell me that they felt it best to do just that. So now my parents are petless. My mom's thinking about a cat but is kind of enjoying her new-found freedom of a truly empty nest.





So this is dedicated to Cassie Leigh - or as I once teased her - Ratgirl! All of these pictures were taken on my birthday in June 2008.

Jessica - My breath of fresh air

I'm always amazed at the friendships that I have. Some take a lot of work - always one-upping or trying to impress each other. Others are cool 'acquaintances' that I really keep superficial.

The best are those that no matter how long it's been since you've spoken, you always have something to talk about.
Nothing feels strained. Nothing is too touchy to talk about. You don't worry what that person is really thinking about you or how they are judging you. You can trust that whatever you say to them can be held in confidence.

There have been some who have moved categories once or twice or more. Seasons I've heard that called. Some vanish without notice. Some stick around longer than you ever expected. Some surprise you by their transparency.

Jessica is a friend that just seems like she's always been there. I have a few of those. I can't really recall the exact moment we met but I know it was during a period of my life when I really needed a good friend.

She came for a visit this past week. When I opened the door I said, 'there you are!', 'is it you?' or something like that.

Jess is someone I can talk about everything with. She and I share a bond that is hard to put into words. Even though she's married to an awesome guy and has two great kids, we can still talk like girlfriends. I know her strengths and weaknesses and she knows mine. We have similarities and differences - just enough to be interesting!

I love talking to her! She is wise.
She is focused. She is grounded.
She is faithful. She has dreams that are big and a God who is bigger.

I get to see her again at the end of September for her daughter's 1st birthday. I can't wait!!

Bye Bye BFF :(

Tomorrow Angela leaves for Alaska for a year. A year!

She joined Americorps right after graduation and accepted a tutoring job in Sitka at the Boys and Girls Club. I'm sad that she's leaving, excited for her and maybe even a little jealous that she gets to go experience it.

We've become such good friends I don't know how I'll get through the year without going to Starbucks and In-n-Out with her at least once a week.

But you know what, I'm proud of her for taking this opportunity. Here's to you Angela! Have a great time and I'll see you as soon as I round up $750 for a plane ticket!

Debt is a four letter word

I just finished my debt tracker spreadsheet. Three hours later, I now know I'm more in debt than I realized. Isn't that always the way? But, I have a plan. And, if the plan works, I'll have it paid down in 2 to 2 1/2 years.

Blogging in spite of myself

It's funny that days, sometimes weeks go by and I don't blog anything. And every day I open up six windows on my computer - myspace, hotmail, sparkpeople.com, bofa.com, blogger, and MJC - as my home pages. Some pages get closed right away. Dismissed away for another day.

Myspace is usually my first stop tied with hotmail. Gotta check all my emails and 'important' messages and comments. I always check these. Everyday. Often.

Sparkpeople used to be the place I went every day to track my exercise and/or food. I've really not used it in three months. I've eaten right (and I've eaten wrong) and I've sweated thousands of calories away. But at some point enough is enough. I just don't have the desire to report all of it anymore. I haven't lost any weight though I've noticed more tone. I got a health assessment at my new job (one of those perks). I'm 39% fat which for those of you who want to know, equals 74 lbs of fat. That is not okay. I have no idea what the fat percentage was before I started my healthier living but, well, frankly in six months at my next assessment it better be lower!!!

MJC's site is a constant reminder that I should (depending on where I'm at in the school year/semester): check for new assignments on the blackboard, sign up for classes, check my grades, see what books I'll need, etc. I haven't signed up yet for the upcoming semester but I need to, I really do!

Bank of America - I have that for checking my balance. I don't do it everyday anymore since the bank sends me daily emails. Suppose I should remove that one.

And last and for some reason, least. My blogger sign in. I think I need inspiration or something. I definitely can't blog everyday. I have friends that do so usually when I see my blog home page that prompts me to look at theirs instead! I love reading about their stuff more than writing about my own. I think that some of my stuff is pretty funny and/or interesting but for some reason I don't always feel like writing it down. Honestly I think people would be exhausted if they read about everything that I do.

So never fear, sooner or later I'll get into a groove of writing fantastic accounts of life's happenings!

It's been so long...

For the past 8 days I've been housesitting in the country and well, their internet is spotty. I'm actually pirating from another house (down the street I presume) so shhh... don't tell.



I've been wanting to blog about it. Tell the world how fun it was for the first two or three days. On the third day, I had to go to the doctor because of my crazy sinus/upper respiratory infection. Go antibiotics! That reminds me, gotta take the latest dose...

Okay - back to the bloggin' - Then I started to get a little stir crazy which ended after I realized they have a ton of movies I haven't seen. Yes!



And, on about day 5 when I had a bit of a panic attack thinking....what if I have a freak accident and die? {hey it could happen.} I better make sure I check in with someone every day.



Today is day 8. I've gotten into quite a routine. The dogs stay in the kennel until I'm ready to play with/feed/swim with them. I've learned you have to keep the doggies separate until they've finished eating or else the older one doesn't have a chance. Aren't they cute?




That brings us to the pool. I'm not a big swimmer and I don't like to swim alone (again - freak accident??). Call me crazy if you want. I don't care. Yesterday I got my feet wet, literally, and today I went all in with my friend Cay.



So tomorrow the landscaping crew is here pretty much all day so I'll take care of changing out the guinea pigs' bedding (oh yeah - there's guinea pigs), refilling the hummingbird feeder, water all the house plants, get some laundry done and generally watch for the exact moment I can let the dogs out so that they can play before I have to leave at 6:30 pm for a meeting.

Miss Sarah

I have a lot of free time on my hands right now aside from applying here and interviewing there, so I thought I'd show everyone how cute Miss Sarah is. My sister and I took her in when my friend Allie couldn't keep her due to an cute, yet allergic, new baby.

We call her Sarah, Sarahbug, Boo, Bug; you get the idea. I got some pretty cute pics today.

Here, she's sitting on my lap hoping that I pet her again soon.

Yes, of course I did.

Then, we moved to the floor...

She loves the puffy, shiny blue ball.

Then, she had to pause to clean herself.

She gives Gene Simmons a run for his money let me tell ya.

This is my favorite pic. It's this look that forgives all of the play scratches, the mews in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and knocking over the things on top of the tv stand.

The significance of a box

I've been putting off writing on this blog for a while, partly because I was waiting for May to be over so I could update my 2008 promises for the last two months at once. And, partly because I couldn't think of anything significant to write about (minus the wedding).

Well, something significant happened 8 days ago. Looking back I should have seen it coming. The company I worked for is struggling significantly with sales and this economy isn't helping. My job consisted of helping the sales team and buying the product for them once they sold it. Due to circumstances way beyond my control, there wasn't much to help with and definitely not much to buy. So, they decided to cut my job along with five others. I know it wasn't an easy decision for them and I have my own opinions about the whole thing - but needless to say, I'm out of a job.

I'm still sort of in shock about it. Only one other person was in the office when I left since they let one other girl go earlier in the day and everyone else was out. I grabbed a box and slowly gathered all of my belongings: the red faux tulips that brightened my desk given to me by a friend for my birthday last year, my memo board with all of my pictures of friends and family tacked on, my framed photo of my sister and of course some random stuff I had tucked away - lotion, chapstick, etc.. Almost 2 1/2 years of stuff removed just like that. I turned off the light in my office and said good-bye.

The crappy part is I was really good at that job and I loved it. I loved the people I worked with and the vendors that became friends. It sucks.

So now I'm one of the many thousands of people looking for a new job. And although I don't mind this sleeping in thing, I'd much rather be working. Just today I got a call about an interview next week so I'm pretty excited to see some hope.

For now, the box sits on my bedroom floor. I don't really feel like dealing with what's in it. I'm hoping to move those things into a new work space pretty soon. But for now, it sits there reminding me of a day that I really would just rather forget.

I'm taking this time to get things done that I wouldn't necessarily have been able to do - clear out old clothes from the closet, get things filed away that have piled up on the desk, finish another book or two, watch some movies I haven't seen, and I was able to attend a graduation ceremony for one of my best friends.

Murphy's Law about back pain

I've been working out for about a month. I've been feeling stronger, losing a little poundage and inches along the way. Okay only 4 lbs. and 1.5 inches so far. But hey that's about a pound a week, yay me!

I've also been telling people how much stronger my core is feeling. Those muscles that I've let turn to mush are feeling the effects of crunches, twists and other exercises so assigned by Zach, my trainer. I tell my friends 'ya it's great to feel like my core is totally firming up' and I told my chiropractor 'I'm feeling soooo strong'. Nobody told me that is the trigger for a strain.

Yesterday, I went to SB for a much needed mocha fix and to work on some homework with Miss Angela. After two hours inside, we decided that it was altogether too cold and screaming babies were annoying. We moved outside. Yes, it was over 100 degrees but the shade was pretty awesome.

Of course, the table we wanted to use was turned the other way, so 'strong' me decides to move it so that it was more user-friendly. On the third lift, I felt it. That instant ouch and pull in my low back that I've felt so many times before. Note to self **don't talk about how strong you are**

I immediately sat down, told Ange that I was hurting but decided to work through the pain. As long as I don't try to move too quickly or bend at the waist I'm good to go. We stayed out there for a good hour or so then moved back inside because of some really irritating, lewd people at the next table over.

Not too much longer I went to Target for some Therma Care heat wraps (my #1 best remedy for back pain), went home and took it easy. Sleep is always a little hard to do when the lower back is so sore.

I got up this morning feeling pretty lousy. I threw on one of the wraps, got ready for church and called in a replacement in the toddler room. There was no way that I was going to be able to interact well with the kiddies. I made it through church and lunch. I then went to go pick up some friends for the chocolate festivities in Oakdale, then to the mall, dinner and now home. My back seems to be okay. I guess the exercise is helping it heal faster!

I'm feeling okay but I'm pretty sure another wrap will go on tomorrow morning.

Jenn and Anthony got married!!!

Here's some pics of the reception...

The pretty place settings

Miss Courtney and I

Thomas and Katie danced

Beautiful bride Jenn and I

Hi Anthony!


Hi Jenn!


One of the many sweet moments

Here's to your happily ever after...

I shouldn't be here right now...

Right now, I should be having a blast with my friends from church at our Women's Retreat in Mount Hermon. However, I'm sitting in my big puffy chair with a raging headache and enough nausea to go around for everybody.

First of all, let me warn you this may be TMI but...well...you can stop reading here. I've got a serious case of food poisoning, that which hasn't been seen ever in this body. I am one of those people that never, ever throw up (maybe 8-10 times in my life) but at the time of this writing, I've thrown up five times). Plus I'm dealing with Aunt Flo who dropped by right around the same time this party started.

It all started with an innocent trip to Red Robin. Now before you sue, no Red Robin did not make me sick, but the leftover freckled lemonade I took from the fridge the next morning did. Sure it tasted good Friday morning even though the strawberries were kind of mushy.

When I left work at 12:00 to go home and pack for my Retreat, I felt fine. When we stopped at Starbucks on the way out of town, I still felt fine. By the time we got to Mount Hermon though...I did not feel fine.

We sat down to dinner, I ate about half of my green salad and a bite from my bread. I had no appetite. We went up to the cabin to put our stuff away and bam - I was tossing my cookies. I started to feel a little better but I convinced no one - think of the little ghost girl from Sixth Sense - "I'm feeling much better now." Eww..

All the other ladies went down to hear the speaker. Of course, I had to throw up yet again since my body thought the first time wasn't enough.

A shower would definitely make me feel better, I reasoned. That went fine, except that I bent over to put my jammies on and well...

I settled into my blankets on the roll away bed. I was able to rest there but with all the snoring that was going on, I couldn't sleep. Iwoke up at 1:30 AND 3:30 because I felt yucky. By 6:30 the next morning I was awake thanks to the morning people in my cabin. I felt pretty good, so I sipped on the Sprite that one of the girls got for me.

We went down to breakfast, but alas five minutes later, I was high-tailing it to the bathroom. yep...again...

I went back to the breakfast table with some chamomile tea and a plain bagel. Surely this would be good for my tummy. That did seem to sit well so I thought I was in the clear.

Now, I slept maybe two hours last night so when one lady said that she would drive home with me if I wanted to go, I said "let's go". We left the beauty of the Santa Cruz mountains at 9:30 and rolled into home a few hours later.

I took a two hour nap, then decided to drink some apple juice and eat some graham crackers. Bad idea - that was trip #5 about an hour ago.

So I'm reduced to just water for now. I still feel like at any moment it could happen again. Let's just say that I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep and a restful day tomorrow.

Life is precious.

I had a pretty surreal night last night. After the gym, I went home got freshened up and got ready for bible study. I had already decided that last night was the night I was going to make my move. I was going to finally tell him how I felt. But, as usual, I chickened out. I walked to my car defeated again. I drove home slowly, parked in the driveway and decided I better just call him. Even though it was 11:30, I did it knowing he was just getting home too. I called and got his voicemail. dangit.

So I crawled into bed angry at myself for letting yet another opportunity slip through my fingers. They say you shouldn't go to bed angry. I suppose that counts when you're angry at yourself too, huh?

Here's the surreal part. I woke up to the house phone ringing at 1:00 a.m. As everyone knows, that's never a good sign. It was my aunt, telling me that Grandpa was going to the ER because he was aspirated. In short, he had somehow vomited and then inhaled a bit of it into his lungs. My aunt has a broken foot, so she couldn't make it easily to the hospital. My sister is the second in line on Grandpa's care directive, so we drove, my sister and I, over to the ER.

As we walked in we noticed my other aunt's BIL sitting there with his son.
We went over to greet them and let them know about Grandpa. Poor guy had jammed his finger pretty hard on something so it was all swollen.

Then he turned to me matter of factly and said, "Did you hear about Chris (his wife)?" I did notice she wasn't with him but figured she was at home.

I told him no, I hadn't heard anything. He went on. "She passed away on Saturday."

Of course I looked at him a bit dumb-founded. She wasn't in the best of health but I never thought she would leave us so early. I listened to him a bit more then I asked about a service.

"It's going to be on Saturday. That would have been her 50th birthday. Her daughter and I thought that would be fitting."

Holy crap. My heart broke. I let him know that of course I would go; that I wouldn't miss it. She was a great lady. They were very in love.

My mom stepped through the doors. My sis and I filled her in on what we knew so far. We also told her about Chris.

We still hadn't seen Grandpa come into the ER and it was now almost 1:30 a.m., so I volunteered to run across the street to the care home where he lives. I got there just in time to see the EMTs put him into the ambulance. (Even though he is right across the street, it's standard to take the residents over to the hospital via ambulance) The EMTs said he would be to the ER shortly. I also met up with the chaplain so together he and I walked back over to the hospital.

Once we got back to the ER, the chaplain sat with us for a while. My aunt's BIL was called for his finger, so he left and wished us well.

At about 2:00, the chaplain went to go investigate for us. He came back about 10 minutes later and said that Grandpa was there so we could go back and see him.

So, mom sis and I went to his room. Grandpa was wide awake and smiled when he saw us as he always does. We sat with him while they checked him periodically. At this point, his fever was down, he wasn't coughing much anymore - pretty much as healthy as a 88 year old can be! His biggest complaint is that his neck hurt from the lack of support behind his head!

I hung out until around 4:00 a.m., making sure to call into work to leave word that I would be late coming into work. By then he was feeling just fine and really just wanted to lie down to sleep. My mom agreed to drop my sister off at home later so that I could go on home.

I crawled back into bed a little later knowing that I had to be awake again in about 3 hours. I ended up sleeping until a little after 8:30 then went into work.

I checked with my mom to find out any update. Grandpa is back at his room in the care home. His official diagnosis is bronchitis now.

And now, I'm sitting here watching tv, completely vegging out to 'reality' that is edited for my entertainment.

Tomorrow is another day - a day to live to the fullest, seize the day, prove to myself that I've learned a little more about myself, and to cherish the lives that I come into contact with.

God has put these trying times in my life to help me endure them with His help. Life isn't meant to be a easy road; there's plenty of bumps and rough patches that come along to help me grow. In these times I can either choose to lament and be down in the dumps or I can look at them as opportunities to grow stronger, to perservere and to recognize that God is in control.

Sunday's going to be fun

Today I went to the gym to get my free one-week pass and make an appt for one personal trainer session. I'm pretty sure the gym thinks I'm going to join, which I probably will just to say I have a gym membership. I'll go simply because I can't bear to pay for something I'm not using. Yeah, I might go once or twice a week, but my goal is 3 or 4 times.

The funny part is, I should have joined one of the four that are within 150 yards of my house a long time ago. It's quite comedic that in a town this size, all of the gyms are within a stone's throw of each other.

So I put on my cute new gym capris and tank top, then set out on the elliptical. However, I started out way too fast and was pretty much feeling it in five minutes. Ouchy on my quads. Next!

In walks a very familiar looking man. I can't place him, which I hate, but I thought he was pretty cute! He and his buddy were treadmilling in no time then they left after a while; I presumed to the weight machines.

Ok where was I? Oh yeah I moved on to the stairclimber. Yeah, I hate that machine. I don't get it. According to the machine I walked seven whole flights of stairs in five minutes. P'shaw. Ridiculously unexciting.

So I moved on to the tried and true treadmill. I have one of these at my house (my sister bought one) so I'm familiar with my training limits and whatnot. I did 25 minutes on that then decided what I really wanted to do was weights upstairs since I could do the treadmill anytime.

And now of course I'm super stinky 'cause I've been aerobic for about 40 minutes. I resigned myself to the fact that everybody is stinky at a gym. :)

I made my way up the stairs to the weight room. There's almost nobody up there. I'm walking around the entire room looking at the labels of the machines to see which ones I needed to shape up my abs and back. Of course I found them - right next to cute guy from downstairs. He and his buddy were finishing up their bench presses then they left again. Random...

So, I worked my abs on two machines, back and deltoids on some others. All in all I spent a good hour at the gym. I can feel the soreness coming on. I figure by Sunday it won't be pretty!

And of course as I was leaving, I have to walk by the pool and guess who? cute guy. Dangit I wish I knew how I know him. It's going to bug me until the next time I see him. Then I'll just ask him who the heck he is.

Acupuncture

I've always wanted to try it. For some reason it never worked out that I could go. Well, I met a doctor who offered me 50% off so I figured, "what the heck?".

I went yesterday. I knew it was all about needles so that didn't bother me. After about 10 minutes of little pin pricks into my most troublesome areas, the doctor left me and the pins to relax for about 20 minutes. The needles didn't hurt at all. I felt very little of the actual pin points.

The doctor told me that he did about three sessions worth in one session so I might be pretty sore today. I have to say that I'm not sore at all. In fact, I felt much more relaxed and I think I had more of a spring in my step. :) I slept really well too. He wants me to come back once a week for a few weeks. That's really not doable considering he's about 35 minutes away from where I work. I'd have to take a long lunch or something.

I definitely want to go back. It's pretty cool to feel your muscle instantly relax. One spot that he worked on has been my weak spot in my back for about ten years. If he can help that heal, it's all worth it!

Now to see if there's a spot that he can hit that will help my body lose weight. Wouldn't that be nice?

Me and my Sinister

I showed my sister the previous blog and she said, "I look like I'm up to something in that first shot......I like it!" Now you all know why I call her my sinister.

We're sending out Valentine's Day cards to all of our relatives and cherished friends. We (well, I) completely dropped the ball on sending out Christmas cards so we thought these would be a great way to connect with everyone and tell them we love them.

Sisters, Sisters

My sister and I finally got together and took some photos for my parents' 40th anniversary in March. Shout out to Malibu for being our photographer!

This one is definitely my favorite shot.

Trying not to fall into the water behind us.
Not good for me and my lack of balance!

We had a ton of fun. Yep that's a real throw-your-head-back laugh right there.

Broken Promise

I fess up. About three minutes ago, I opened a Pepsi. The first one since September. It tastes better than I remember. So much sugary, acidy, carbonated goodness...

I remember telling myself, "no soda until you've lost 30 lbs. That should be around January 31st". Well, I've lost a whole whopping 10, then gained back 4 or 5, then lost a few. I'm in a constant state of flux between here and there. I have been good, I have perservered - yet I have not won the battle of the bulge. I made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years' never touching a soda.

You might say that I've given in or you given up. I disagree. I have limited my caloric intake to 1200-1550 calories on most days (yeah there's a few that hit 2000-2200). I've exercised more than before by walking 2 miles 2-3 times a week. Obviously, this system ain't workin' for me.

So, I talked to one of my accountability people. She said, 'Ok how about you can only have one soda a week, or limit yourself to weekends?' That's a thought. I mean, if I'm eating pizza I've got to have a root beer, right?

Tea, water and juice have been my friends for the last 19 weeks. I've come to love them and I'll continue drinking my eight required glasses of water for good health.

At some point, I'm going to join Curves again. That was a great workout for me and it's fun. If I do that 4 times a week, I'm sure to see some results. I still have to limit my calories (well, fat intake and sodium intake are my worst offenders). And, I discovered I still have quite a few workout DVDs that have been used once or twice. Time to make those more useful.

I'm continuing to use Sparkpeople.com. It's a free site that helps you track your food intake and your exercise, and much more.

So, what have I learned over the last four months?
1. I love water and all that it does for my skin.
2. Raw spinach is way better than cooked spinach.
3. I can stick to a goal.
4. My friends will support me in my goals.
5. I love to walk, especially listening to Pastor Ken's sermons on my ipod.
6. My blood pressure is more in control and my acid reflux is better than it was.
7. My clothes fit better.
8. I know I can walk a little over 2 miles in 40 minutes or less.
9. A double cheeseburger at McDonalds is actually not that bad for you - and they're only $1. It's the fries that getcha.
10. Slimfast shakes taste pretty darn good.

One year ago

Tuesday marked a year since my surgery. I can't believe it's been that long. I saw my doctor last week. She took after pictures and let me see the difference between my before and after. It was staggering!

I'm still healing, I suppose. The scars are mostly gone, but aren't as clear as she expected them to be already. Plus, I have a piece of skin that didn't quite go back to where it was supposed to. My doctor said she can remove it so I'm scheduled for a 'skin tag removal' procedure on Feb. 1st.

Tuesday also marked the realization that my Grandpa's cancer is most likely back. The doctors are almost 100% sure. My family is keeping a positive attitude, but we know that this might be the illness that takes him home to God. It's hard to think about, he's my last grandparent.

One thing I hate to think about is mortality. I hardly ever talk about my fear of death. I don't want to die and it's not because I fear eternity. I don't fear that at all. Heaven is going to be amazing. But I do fear having to face the moment just before I die when I know that my time on earth with my friends and family is over. Even worse, I start to shudder when I think of my mother, father, sister or any of my very close friends passing away. I don't dwell on it but it does make me pause.

I have to rely on God that he knows what he's doing. His timing is perfect. I'm not sure why this was on my mind today, but it is. Tomorrow is another day. It's also a day I get to see my Grandpa turn 88 years old.

Do you ever think about this part of life? Does it scare you or do you have a different reaction? I'm curious to know how often it crosses other people's minds.

Random thoughts from the past year (or so)

A Myspace friend wrote one of these and I loved it. Like he wrote, some will make sense to everyone, some will make sense to a few select people and some will make sense only to me.

Thanks Josh, for your honesty and transparency.

1. Sometimes I suck at being a friend.
2. Sometimes I rock at being a friend.
3. Whatever happens, there's always tomorrow.
4. I will never feel worthy of God's love, and that's okay.
5. It takes about four martinis to give me a buzz.
6. A kamikaze lives up to its name.
7. I can't be around you all the time.
8. Caramelized banana splits are heavenly.
9. So are BBQ chicken wraps.
10. People are going to talk about me. It's up to you if you believe them or not.
11. Communication only works if both people are doing it.
12. I compare every guy to him.
13. Drunk people are funny.
14. I need a hug.
15. I don't want an open casket funeral.
16. A 3-month old baby goes through a lot of diapers.
17. A mattress on the floor with Superman sheets is an awesome place to be.
18. Massages are necessary.
19. Sodas are not.
20. Egg salad sandwiches taste really, really good on Christmas day.
21. San Diego is a long drive.
22. Starbucks is my friend.
23. I'm smarter than a fifth grader.
24. I love weddings.
25. I hate weddings.
26. Budgeting is hard.
27. Dieting is harder.
28. Bunco cannot be played in one half hour.
29. People who pay attention know where you've been when you haven't been around.
30. I'm afraid of what God thinks of me.
31. I don't want to be alone.
32. Famous people are crazy.
33. For some people, skechers are perfect wedding attire.
34. Money can't buy happiness.
35. Email forwards are not necessary.
36. I'm not going to settle again.
37. 5:00 a.m. is a time that should never be seen.
38. Straw wrappers make good toys.
39. Saying that you can't figure out why I'm still single does not help.
40. There's no place like home.