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.