The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In my head over the last week or so I had been working up a post about all the things that have changed in our lives over the last 3 (4?) years.  I can't do it.  I just can't.  It would take me forever, and inevitably I would forget something.  I've got too much going on in my life to keep up with it.  Right now there's back to school, working on a weighted blanket for Quinn, laundry, getting set up for Wee-Cycle, scanning in a million (probably underexaggerating) pieces of work from my kids from LAST school year, because I made a stupid promise to keep all their stuff, and this allows me to not keep an entire dead rainforest's worth of papers in my house, getting ready for doctors appointments, surgery, dog training, trying to keep a clean house, and my sanity, along with a slew of other things I know I'm forgetting.  (Didn't I tell you this would happen?)  And that's all in the next 2 weeks.

So the condensed version is this:

We moved (bought a house, actually.)

We gained a new family member! :)  (Jasper)

We lost a few family members.  :(  (Dakota, and Landon)

We got 2 puppies! :/ (Gus and Ludo.  Happy we have them, sad that it was due to Landon's death.)

Had a few vehicle swaps, and accident, health problems, drama, school and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff.  But that's the gist of it.

Buckle up, it's going to be an adventure!

Five Months

Little Quinn.  Well, you are not so little anymore, you are 5 months old!  I can’t believe the time has flown by.  I was going through my emails this morning, looking for your birth announcement because one of my friends said that they never got it.  I never found it, but I was rereading all of our adventures of our first week together.  You really scared momma, and even reading about it put me in tears, even though now, you are as healthy and perfect as perfect can be.  Despite that first large bump in the road, you are growing more and more every day.  Every time I look at your pictures, I want to reach out and hold you.  You are my everything, and I don’t know how I ever survived in this world without you.

This past month, a lot has happened with everyone and everything around us.  It has been rough and fun, and full of adventure, both the good and the bad kind.  I don’t even know where to begin.  First, our housing situation was in jeopardy.  The air conditioning went out, and our landlord basically told us that we were lucky it wasn’t something major, and that it was an easy fix because he couldn’t afford to fix anything for us, and would give us a 30-days to vacate notice should anything else go wrong.  That really freaked me and dad out.  It’s one thing to put us on the street, we can be nomads if need be, but we have you now.  You to care for, you who needs a stable, and comfortable home; you, who needs so many things that moving from place to place, cannot be provided.  I was really scared for the first few days.  Scared and angry.  For once in our lives, daddy and I switched roles.  He was the one freaking out about what the plan was going to be, and telling us we had to move, move, move, and I was the one who wanted to ride it out, and see where life was going to take us.  Don’t expect that to ever happen again.  We are still in the same place, but still keeping our eyes open.  I want to find a good home that we can be in for a few years.  Something not too crowded something I won’t fear for you to walk around in, when the time comes, or even for you to crawl around.  I always told myself I didn’t want to have children while living in an apartment, because an apartment is so temporary, so not homey.  Unfortunately, thanks to our mistakes, we can’t provide you with a home to grow up in now, either.  I guess I should have clarified my future thoughts with “rentals” versus “apartments” because, we may be in a house right now, but it is not ours, and it is definitely not our “home.”  Someday we will have one for you, and hopefully, that will be the only home you remember, one filled with love, and laughter.  The middle of the month also brought about a LOT of changes.  In the same week your dad finally got back to a normal schedule at work, you got back to a normal sleep schedule (rather quickly, I might add), and you started day care.  Your dad learned of his new schedule on a Thursday morning, he went to work that night, stayed up as late as he could Friday, and then spent all weekend with you.  I pretty much only saw you when you were hungry.  It was the first time he actually got to enjoy you in all your glory and you got to enjoy him.  You were both so happy, and I am so excited that this opportunity fell in his lap.  That Monday, he started his new shift, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, like a normal dad, he also started school that day, and that Wednesday, you started day care.  We are starting to shape up like the all-American family.  Day care was really rough on me.  I didn’t want to trust someone else, someone I didn’t even know to take care of you for any extended period of time, much less 10 hours a day, 5 days a week.  Although this is one of the best day cares in the city, we got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I think things are ok now.  You had no problems with them; it was just your crazy parents who did.  You love daycare.  They sent me pictures of your first day there, and you were smiling in both of them.  You are smiling when we drop you off, and smiling when we pick you up.  You get wagon rides, and lots of cuddles, they absolutely adore you, and I’m pretty sure you enjoy it there too.  I cried your first day, and then sat at home for 9 hours wondering what you were doing, and didn’t do much else.  It was my first day without you ever, and I was pretty lost.  It’s still hard to drop you off every day, but I’m doing better.  I come home now and look for jobs, cook, or clean.  I’m still not working, and I really want to have you by my side all the time, but I need to get used to not having you there, and I also need to get things done around the house.  About an hour before I get to pick you up, I get antsy, and can’t wait to see you.  It’s like that last hour before you get to go home from work or school.  It’s so close, but so far.  Someday you will know what I am talking about.

  

At your 4-month checkup (which was almost two weeks after you turned 4 months), you weighed 13 lbs. ½ an oz.  You just now fit perfectly into 3-month-old clothing.  I am slowly starting to have to pack away your 0-3 month clothes, which is not as traumatic as I thought it would be, because you have a LOT of clothes.  At your appointment, you got shots, and this time you didn’t crash out, and you were miserable for a few days.  I felt so bad, and you were so cranky.  The doctor said that we could start trying out solid foods starting with cereal if you showed any interest in it.  You already get cereal in your bottles to help you keep it down, but I made up a bowl of cereal for you to eat, and you had no real interest in it.  I will try again next month, but I won’t pressure you at all.  The more food you eat, the less bonding time you and I get, so I’m being selfish with it.  You don’t truly need to start exploring with solid foods anyway until you’re a year old.  The doctor also suggested that we let to start drinking from a cup.  She personally doesn’t like sippy cups, and recommended little bathroom cups.  She showed us how to give you about an ounce of water in one, and you drank it so fast, as if we were starving you.  We didn’t have any bathroom cups at home, so I gave you my old Tommee Tippee Cup to try and you loved it.  You got the hang of it right away, and you could tell how proud of yourself that you were when you first used it.  Daddy, going with doctors’ orders, didn’t want to use a sippee cup, so we went out and bought a bottle with handles and a bottle like nipple that had 3 stages (bottle nipple, a square-ish nipple to transition you to a sippee cup type drinking device, and eventually cup) but I think it was too big, and you weren’t really digging it.

 Developmentally, you can now roll from your tummy to your back, and your back to your tummy, but not back to your original starting position.  Not sure why you do it that way, but you will figure it out.  It turns out tummy time is not as traumatic as you originally thought, and for the last week, when I come in to get you in the morning, you are either fast asleep on your tummy (you sleep in almost the same exact position as your momma!) or you are on your tummy trying to crawl around, and usually making a ruckus.  On your first day of day care, dad saw another baby (who is a few months older than you are) on her back grabbing her feet and rolling back and forth.  He thought it was so cute, and talked to you about grabbing your feet, and doing it too.  In the next few days, you did it, and he was overjoyed.  He loves when you do it every time.  You are a smart little cookie, and I don’t think people give babies enough credit for what they know.  You are at the age that we can start teaching you sign language to communicate better, and while we are eager to do so, we can’t find out little book we got for you.  Chaos is our life, and maybe someday we will get our act together, but probably not.  I think, despite no real effort going into it, you are learning to wave as a greeting.  You often lift up your hand when people enter or leave a room, or when we come to pick you up from day care, and someone says “bye” to you.  You’re somewhat shy about it at first, and you hesitatingly put your hand up, but every now and then, you will shake it at them.

We recently got you a Taggie toy.  It’s simply a sewn triangular piece of fabric with various tags hanging off it.  Simple, but you love it.  We’ve attached it to your car seat, and pretty much, it’s our “go-to” toy of the moment.  You still really enjoy your swing, but I think you like it too much sometimes, and although you are nowhere near the 25-pound weight limit, you get so excited, and so carried away with kicking for joy, you shake it, and it scares me a little.  This weekend we are going to the zoo pending the weather.  I’m excited to see your reaction to all the animals, but I think you will like the monkeys the most, unless they have some underwater animals.  Daddy fully plans to parade you around on his shoulders the entire time.  I think he might have to fight grandpa for it, and I have a feeling that excitement will end the second time you spit up on his head.  I’m giving you a freebie because he will probably be wearing a hat, and won’t mind until you actually make it to his hair.

I love you!

Love,

Momma

Day Two. Tootin' Your Own Horn.

Jason and I both get to toot our horns.  (Although, I am actually doing it for him without his permission.)

Jason first:  He’s been working in the department that he wants to work at, but can’t get a job in because they aren't hiring anyone to replace the guy who quit.  They started working him yesterday; he has come home happy, and excited about the opportunity he has been given.  He will be working with them again when we get back from our vacation, and they have told him, that this will look good for him down the road.  When I called him earlier, he seemed to be getting along with everyone down there as if he was a regular.  So let’s cross our fingers that the department gets whatever they need to get to be able to hire someone, and that it’s him.  He’s smitten.  They even gave him a laptop, which he totes around with pride, like it’s a badge of honor.

Me:  I got a letter in the mail yesterday telling me that because of my academic standing, I was invited to be a commencement speaker at my graduation this May.  I’m not really sure how to take it because I was a student a long time, and I am not sure how that is supposed to make them look good—I have also had endless problems with them, so I feel like it’s kind of a joke.  I guess a handful of students got the letter, and we need to submit an essay about something or another, I really didn't pay attention much, because I am 99% sure that I won’t be doing it anyway.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s an honor, but I am not a fan of the school, or of speaking in front of that many people.

 

Anyway, I need to get back to washing clothes and trying to get everything ready for when we head out tomorrow after work.

 

Day One. In the Beginning.

Why is she doing this you ask?  I am asking myself the same thing.  Long story short, I have to write a lot of essays this semester.  A LOT.  We’re talking about one to two 750 word essays a WEEK.  A WEEK.  That is a lot for me because I am used to writing that maybe once a semester in one class, if that.  So it’s been kind of a really hard task for me to accomplish since it’s been such a long time since I’ve had to do it.  A few years back I used to keep a personal blog.  Just me, by myself (not that Jason posts here much) but it was pretty much a private thing, and I’d update a few times a month, and be good with that.  I just let the words flow.  Writing essays would have posed no problem for me.  Now it takes me half a day.  I am hoping that not only will this get me in with the “flow” of things again, but it will get me back into the habit of writing again, which I shockingly love to do, I just feel like I don’t have time to write anything worthwhile, and you don’t have time to read about my boring life.  So I am making time, and hopefully making it a little interesting.  I have a whole bunch I want to write about, but I fear that by day three this will be getting old, so I am saving them up for the next few days, and hopefully I won’t forget any of them.  I’ll try to include pictures too when I can, because who doesn’t love pictures?!

 

I've done something!

Yay!

Too bad I can't actually "graduate" until May.  Lame.

Dear Chemistry,

You may not be posted to my transcript yet, but I have a little message for you:

IN. YOUR. FACE!

Love,

Amanda

P.S.  I got a B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(times infinity but I didn't want to waste too much screen space.)

ΦΘΚ

[caption id="attachment_595" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Phi Theta Kappa"][/caption]

Amazing Things

Earlier this week the site was down because of an application that I was using that was "hogging" up all the server resources.  Since it is a shared server (with God knows how many people) instead of just removing or disabling the program, my host put the kabosh on the entire site.  I was pretty annoyed because that allowed me to do things the backwards / hard way only... as I wasn't allowed access to my actual site, where I could have taken care of the problem in one foul swoop.  So the site was down for a day or so while I went to 2,310 different locations to try and solve the issue.  Let's just say I'll leave it at that, but I am a little annoyed with my host right now for not really being helpful, or timely since they said they would check overall resources in 24 hours... and that 24 hours was up Thursday...  *cough*  That's why the site is only half done, because this all went down right in the middle of me working on it...

Annnnnnnyyyyyway, school for me starts this Thursday, and I already feel overwhelmed.  I ordered my books weeks ago and I have one.  One out of four.  I got an email yesterday saying I had to go to Target to buy one since it was way cheaper than going through the book store.  Thanks teach.  So technically I guess I have two, even though I haven't actually gone to get it yet.  However, I called the bookstore and told them "Hey, this book has been sitting at West Campus for a week and a half... you think you could ship it... and what about this other one that's been pending for a week... what about that one?"  The response I got was less than pleasurable with one book being dropped off by FedEx the day before my classes start, and one book being on backorder, despite the fact that they have 15 in stock for people who are picking up, until after classes start.  I ordered my books on the 3rd, how long do you wait for people to pick up their books... an eternity?  So yeah, totally sucks.  I hate being unprepared.  Jason's school starts on the following Monday, and he's already picked up his books, easy peasy.

A few months ago, I ordered a little device called a FitBit.  It took forever to get here (on backorder... just like everything I ever order) but I finally got it Thursday.  It is amazing to say the least.  It tracks sleep, and calories burned, and has an entire website to track all that and more.  The only thing I am truely disappointed with... is my results: (click it!)



The sleep feature is what really sold me on this little device, and so far this has been my worst night out of three.  My first night I was awoken 12 times, but got about 8 hours of sleep.  My second night I was awoken 23 times (!!!) but got about 7 hours of sleep... last night was obviously the worst because when I was woken up, I stayed up instead of being up for a minute or two.  The website also tracks your caloric intake, and water intake based on the foods you entered in, so it is really interesting to see the total caloric intake of what you eat versus what you burn as well.  So far I am in love with this tiny little helper, but I'm giving it at least a month before I give an absolute recommendation as I've seen a lot of pros as well as cons on their forums.

That's pretty much it for now.  I'm off to force Jason to clean with me... we defrosted/deiced our freezer yesterday (easy to do in this heat) and now its off to organize the kitchen!

I'd like to say I didn't

But I totally forgot about this site for a while.  Whoops!  :P

School has been keeping us both busy, well more so me now than Jason. I got a break while he finished, but now I am being buried under geology (yuck) and he is finished.

Anyway... I have more to do, but I hope to get him to update this sometime soon... maybe...

The 7 Year Itch... Only Shorter

And no, I am not talking about Jason.  :)

It seems that as of my last few jobs, I get right to the 3 year mark, and I bail.  I just get so fed up with / sick of them.  I am nearing that at my current job... and I honestly don't know if I will be able to make it much longer.  Without going into great detail... I feel worthless most of the time.  I am made to be more versatile than I want to be.  I can cover many people's jobs, and no one seems to care if mine is done or not, until they need something, and then it is "WHY ISN'T THIS DONE!?"  There are a few specific people that really get to me, but no matter how much I complain, no matter how wrong they are, when it comes time for punishment, or time to fix the problem, nothing happens.  Ever.  I just hate it.  I am told constantly how "valuable" I am, and how I am irreplaceable, but when co-workers make my life harder, no one seems to care when I get upset or frustrated or have a problem, ever.  It’s like there isn't even a point in complaining anymore, because nothing ever gets done.  It's really shown in my attitude lately, because I simply just don't care, and I don't want to help.  I have been making minimal talk with the majority of my co-workers, but again, none of them seem to care unless they need help someone.  I feel like I am drowning.

In other news nothing is happening.  When we're not dealing with the daily grind of work, we're dealing with the nightly grind of homework.  I just want to be free, and not have to work, or have to go to school, just have the ability to do what I want, when I want.  I'll keep dreaming though...

For our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife, nothing really happened.  We ran our errands, as Sunday is pretty much the only day that we have available to do so, and that was about it.  We exchanged gifts in the morning, Jason got Heath bars, and a big fat book, and I got a stuffed frog, and real frogs!  We actually bought the tank a week ago, and I have been adding to it slowly.  I've always wanted a fish tank (beyond a glass jar) and we found a really nice 2 ½  gallon one with a filtration system, light and the works.  Currently, I have two African Dwarf Frogs, an Otocinclus (which looks like a mini shark, but he sucks all the algae out), and 3 Glass Shrimp.  Sadly, I think the shrimp are the most exciting.  They are so active, and so comical.  I fed the frogs today, which is basically little pellets of food, and the shrimp all grabbed a pellet and looked like they were playing with them.  The frogs are active every now and then... and the Otoconclus just sucks... haha, but he looks pretty cool, and I am happy with the entire set up.  So cute!

That's it for now.

We need a vacation.

I am so bad at this...

But at least I update... unlike someone... who is half of this site.  ; )

Things have been crazy busy... still... I don't think it is ever going to calm down...  Ugh.

Things that have happened since the last time I updated, ages ago:

We went camping for Easter.  Super excited to use our new stuff, packed it all, left early Friday morning, got a great camping spot, got to fish for about 45 minutes... and woke up to SNOW the next morning (at about 2 am.)  Prime camping spot, actually camping spot from hell because it was the furthest one away, and we had to haul ALL of our crap back, soaking wet, in the snow.  I eventually wore down and put on a trash bag because I was freezing and my clothes were sopping.  Ugh.  Needless to say, we didn't get to use much of the new stuff except the portable toilet, and our water jugs.  Don't worry, there are pictures... which brings me to the next thing:

Someone reported my Windows key as stolen (which I guess, technically, it is) so my computer has basically been crapping out on me for the last 3 weeks.  :(  I have reformatted and tried and tried to find a legitimate copy of windows, with no avail.  I may have to... buy it. Disgusting.  I really wish that I could use something more basic... like... anything, but unfortunately, there are so many programs out there that wont run on *nix based systems, that I really... just can't switch to anything free or Open Source.

School is done for me!  (And will be done for Jason in a week, I think.)  I got an A in all my classes but one, where I got a B (which was lame, because it was an 89% and they wouldn't just bump it)  8 out of 9 isn't bad though, right?  I'll never be THAT crazy about school again.  I do have my Certificate of Completion in Computer Applications and Usage (i.e. I know how to use a computer, go me, and whooopie!) which I should receive in the mail in a few weeks,  and I have to have one more class to get another Certificate of Completion in Web Design.  What do those all mean?  Nothing really, except that I am done with two chunks of my education on my way to an... associates degree.  Ugh.  The school system is so ridiculous sometimes.  All these classes, all this work, and I can't even get a degree that will get me anywhere.  I suppose that is partially my fault for dragging my feet for so long and changing my mind every semester.  :P

Last week, after I was done with all my finals and homework, I built a garden!  I will eventually post pictures of that too... but I am still working on that computer issue, so I may end up using Jason's computer to do so.  I have planted tomatoes, jalapeños, yellow onions, white green onions, purple green onions, cucumbers, and artichokes.  The tomatoes, cucumbers, and jalapeños were already grown to a small size, and they are doing fine, everything else was planted by me, so far the onions are kicking ass though.  The white green onions have already sprouted, and I have seen little sprouts (that literally look like alphalpha sprouts) coming up where the yellow onions should be.  I will have my own salsa factory soon!  The jalepeños, even though I don't know how old they are since I didn't sprout them, already have a few buds for peppers.  Who knows if the first batch will be good, so I guess we just wait.

Lastly, from last Monday, until yesterday (Monday, so a week) this is what has happend:

• Jason got a kidney stone.  - Monday


• Amanda got a sty. -  Tuesday


• Jason passed said kidney stone.  -  Friday


• Amanda gets rid of sty (for the most / painful part anyway.)  - Friday


• Jason gets another kidney stone.  -  Monday

I swear, he is really pushing the limit on "in sickness and in health".  NO MORE KIDNEY STONES.  I swear, he is trying to start our family early in his kidneys.  :|

 

And... I swear, once I get all this computer hubub straightened out... I will update more... promiiiise.  :D

Frugalista

I heard this word the other day, and fell in love with it.  I am probably not classified as one, but I sure am striving to be one!  I am currently in the kitchen whipping up another batch of dog bones.  I’ve given out a TON of free samples, and people just seem to love them!  Pretty soon I think I will need to start charging for them.  I finally got my butt to the grocery store and priced all the ingredients so that I can have John (from Omega-3) help me figure out the pricing structure.

Another thing I’ve done this week is I’ve made my own laundry detergent.  I was pretty skeptical at first, but I did it, and it works GREAT, and it is SUPER CHEAP!  Two of my favorite things, something that works and isn’t costly.  I don’t know if it is just because I have sensitive skin and have to be careful with what we use, but laundry detergent is SO expensive.  The ingredients for this cost about half the price, (about $9 for everything) and will make at least 3 batches of enough detergent to do approximately 64 loads of laundry.  Can’t beat that, now can ya?  I think our box of fragrance free Arm & Hammer does about 72 loads and costs about $17.  You can see the difference.  I made the first batch up on Thursday night, and used it Friday night with some hesitation.  While the detergent has a very strong smell, it doesn’t transfer in the washer, and it doesn’t bother my skin at all!  Jason even said that his socks felt softer.  If you want the recipe, please feel free to contact me for it. 

Two other household tips we discovered were:

• Wadding up a ball of aluminum foil about the size of your fist, and sticking it in the dryer helps eliminate static!  (Another cheapie!)


• For those tough to get off baked on pains, putting an Alka-Seltzer tablet in hot water and letting it soak works wonders.  I’ve also heard that it helps get rid of the ring around the toilet, but I have yet to try it… because amazingly… our toilets stay pretty clean (and I don’t think we’ve cleaned them since we moved in… which was almost a year ago!)

School is almost over for me… and I think for Jason too… but he is a few weeks behind me.  We have a super busy week ahead of us next week.  Monday we need to inventory our camping stuff because we got a whole bunch of new stuff, so some of the old stuff can go (like our fancy schmancy toilet paper, because now we have biodegradable… eeesh) and we also need to menu plan for our trip and not just throw a whole bunch of random crap in a cooler like we did last time.  Tuesday, we are going to order Jason’s wedding ring that we picked out last week, but there was no SKU on it, and Tuesday was the earliest when a manager’s schedule worked with ours to get it taken care of.  Wednesday, we will buy the planned food for camping, Thursday we have taste testing with our caterer and Friday thru Sunday is camping!  It will be so nice to get away from phones, computer, TV, and video games and just get back to reality.  We’ve invited a friend to go with us, but I’m still not sure if he is going to come or not.  Regardless, it will be nice to get 2 ½ days of relaxation… minus the dog barking at everything that moves… including the trees.  ; )

The Happs

Ok, so I will be writing this in between homework assignments and random flitting around. (Because that is what I do... I flit.)

So I shall start off with an amazing story: Jason constantly teases me about how creepy I am because I "stalk" people online.  I don't see it as stalking as most people have their information on there, put there by themselves for other people to read... I mean there are some specific cases where I may be seen as creepy... but meh, we're not talking about that right now. Anyway, when I was a wee one, I had this best friend named Sharifah, we hung out, and did little kid things like play with Barbies, play on the swings, run around like maniacs, you know, that kind of stuff. Well, she moved away when I was in first or second grade, back to Kuwait. I was heartbroken. She wrote me letters, well letters as far as little kids can be concerned, and we kept in contact for what was probably a short while and then the letters stopped. I didn't really know what happened to her after that point. I never heard from her again. To this day, a good nineteen to twenty years later, I wondered about her.   I looked for her online, on MySpace, on Facebook, and just google-ing her name to no avail. Disappointing to a pro like me.  Anyway... SHE FOUND ME!  After such a long time, I was so amazed that she even remembered who I was, especially since she is still living in a country so far away from her life back then.  It was great to know that she was not only still alive, but that she missed me as much as I missed her.  I love hearing from her, and although her English isn't perfect, it’s pretty good, so I can understand all of what she says to me.  She got married, and has a 3 year old daughter, and she looks completely different, but I think this has been the one friend reunion that I have been looking forward to all my life! (Almost literally!)  Ah, I love the powers that the internet has to bring people together, who have been lost from each other no matter how long.  

Next up:  Tax Money!
Tax money is quite a confusing and exciting topic.  First off, we got a lot of it!  So much, that we have spent most of it!  We love it!  Money, money, money!  What sucked for me was that when we bought the house, they told us to lower the percentages taken out of our paychecks because of the interest write off.  So we did, well, they forgot to tell us, that only ONE of us should do that since we can't file jointly.  Since Jason had more deductions, it was more beneficial for him to take the home credit, which left me owing the government (state) $57.  Not bad really... except I haven't paid it yet.  Today I get a notice from the Arizona Department of Revenue.  Thinking they are mad because I was supposed to have mailed them money by some unknown deadline, I started flipping out, only to find a nice $420 check saying I had overpaid.  Overpaid what, I am not sure, since I haven't paid anything, but a nice little reward nonetheless.  I'm not going to do anything with it until Monday when I can call them, and find out what the heck is going on, because while the extra money may be lovely now, when I don't have it, and have to pay it back, it will not be so lovely.  As for the rest of the money, we paid off ALL our high-interest loans / credit cards, and our "big" debt is now the house, and car.  The only outstanding credit card we have is my David's Bridal card, which is soon to be paid off anyway.  It is so nice to be free.  We also got caught up on our house payments since we had fallen a smidge behind with Jason pretty much being jobless for two months.  The remainder of the money went towards some down payments for wedding stuff, invitations, doggie doors, and hopefully replacing our fence.  Unfortunately, we didn't really think enough when we first got the money, and didn't allot the practically half we would need for a block fence, so we are getting some estimates on new wooden fencing instead.  Disappointing, but new wood fencing will hold up better than what we have now.  

Wedding Stuff
I still don't have my dress, and although David's Bridal is an "on the rack" store allowing you  to walk out of there with the dress you want that day, I have had to order mine.  And then another one... and then ANOTHER one.  I am sure glad I did this early.  My third order will hopefully be the last and that is just because my hips and chest don't match classic measurements.  (Heh, imagine that.)  Luckily, the order time they have given me so far has been about 2 months too long, and the dress comes in about two to three weeks after it is ordered.

A few weeks ago, we met with a photographer, and liked her from the moment we met.  She is an odd-one, oddly similar to Jason, so of course they hit it off right away.  She also seems very meticulous, and anal about her work, which I think is a good... even a great thing.  She also does PhotoShop (Hurrah!)  And uses a Canon (super hurrah!)  You can check out her work at JenniferWeems.com

We ordered our invitations, and letting a very limited number of people see them (2) they were proofed, and perfected, and should be in my little hands on Monday.  Our RSVP date isn’t until August, but I want to send them now, I don't want to wait for June!  I'm sure we will have to assemble them though, which will put a halt to my over-zealousness.  We are also waiting on a few more addresses from people.

As for the rest of our life:
Jason is back to normal.  Being his annoying (yet loveable) self again.  He has been told to stay off the salt, soda, and red meat for 6 weeks, and then he gets to pee in a bucket for 24 hours, and then they will see where his kidney stones are coming from.  He has been a trooper so far, but I will admit, I am taking pleasure in all the steak and burgers that I get to eat in front of him while he gets stuck with chicken or fish.  He has eaten the greasiest, unhealthy, delicious foods in front of me when I have been on diets, and now, I finally get my bittersweet revenge.  When I asked him if he would change the next time, now that he is on the receiving end of it, he still said, “no.”  Can’t win them all.

Speaking of chicken, Monday I made some chicken wraps, Tuesday (like right when Tuesday hit at midnight) I woke up sick as a dog.  I am pretty sure that I got salmonella (again) which is odd because the other two times I’ve had it have been right around this time of year.  So I ended up staying home Tuesday.  I went back to work Wednesday, and felt miserable most of the day, and was mediocre by Thursday and ok by Friday.  I have been having some trouble with my hearing though, and I have been super sensitive to smells lately (which sucks working at a mortuary.)  I hate being sick so much.  It was really cute though, I got up because I knew something wasn’t right, and was sitting in the computer room so that I didn’t wake Jason up.  Well, Lucy heard me puking into the trashcan and tried to wake Jason up.  When nudging and licking him didn’t work, she actually bit him to wake him up.  She didn’t leave my side the entire day Tuesday, and she was a bit protective on Wednesday.  My puppy loves me. ♥ 

As for school a few weeks ago Jason and I both knocked out a few of our classes with finals, so the schedule got cut in half, which is nice school wise, but life wise, I swear our schedule just got worse.  I am so looking forward to being done before mid-April.  Unfortunately Jason started the majority of his classes after I did, so he ends closer to (and maybe even in) May.  Sometime in April we hope to take a much needed camping trip.  We have tons of new gear from Christmas, and we got some cooking stuff as well as a portable toilet, and some water canisters to take with us so that we can camp in more remote areas shall we ever run into a holiday weekend again.  Jason says that he is pretty sure we got everything on our camping “needs” list, but I am sure we will find something once we are out there.

This weekend we got our doggie doors installed.  We had to get two, one through the laundry room to the garage, and one from the garage to outside, or we’d have to go through a wall.  We figured their new-found freedom to come, go, and bark as they please would be an incentive for the dogs, but they just don’t get it.  Well, Landon kind of does, but Lucy, the wimp is scared of the flaps, and basically has to be shoved out, or have the door opened for her.  I hope they get it soon.  We got these so there would be less work involved… not more.

I hope to keep on top of the updates once again… but you know how it gets you get behind, and then you mean to catch up and then when you try to more stuff gets piled on… but I think I have really caught up to where we are at at this very moment… so hopefully you will be hearing from me soon!  : )

Neglect.

I know, I know, I've been keeping everyone out of the loop as to what has been going on... but we've been really busy.  I'm still trying to catch up on homework that was due last weekend, because last weekend I was too busy trying to catch up on the week before.  I'm sure you get the point.  Good thing Jason and I have understanding teachers... and good thing after next weekend, half my classes will be overwith and gone!  Wahoo.

Anyway, I need to still work on that homework, so I am going to cut this short.  We are headed to the Renaissance Festival today (finally) so you can expect a bigger update, and pictures later this week.  : )  If you're board, you can see some of the crappy animations I have been working on for school over at Look What I Can Do, I suggest the UltimateTours5 as it has the most going on, as it has been a step by step process and small lessons besides that.  I do have to warn you though, there is a LOUD sound at the end if you click the Lighthouse Cruises button... so mute or turn your speakers waaaaay down.

Ciao!

Where we're at...

The airport actually, on our way to Oklahoma.

Things have been so crazy since the holidays have been over.

School started, and I think I lost my mind.  I am taking 9 classes this semester, and Jason is going full time this semester (with 5) and our classes started last Monday (well all of mine did, and 3 of Jason's did.)  What the hell was I thinking?!?  A few of the classes are going to be a breeze, but I had to sit and do two weeks worth of homework Wednesday night, and what a pain in the ass!  I still have some to do by Saturday, and Jason hasn't even looked at his new classes becuase he still isn't finished with last semester.  Ugh.  Obviously it will be easier once everything calms down and we don't have a bajillion plans on the weekends, but yikes!

Also, I finally finished a knitting project!

Who wants to jump in the Way Back Machine?!

Freebies

I have been trying to save up cool freebies for a while, but it seems like by the time I get whatever it was, the promotion is over, and therefore I can’t verify that it’s real until it’s too late.  :(  Anywho, I got a cool TiVo cookie cutter right before Christmas.  It’s totally cute, and I love my TiVo, so it all works, but… the promotion is over.  However, Jason and I just placed two orders for some free tea.  Basically, you go to teasta.com pick out two of their samples, put them in your cart, put TRYME in the coupon code section, and voila!  Free tea.  I cannot verify that particular freebie… but if you like coffee, Dunkin Donuts is also giving away samples of their dark roast and regular coffee, and we have received both samples that we ordered.  They are often out of stock of one or the other but keep checking back and you can usually get it.  If you want more than one, start using different names and addresses.  I’ve sent stuff to my mom and my work address because I am a freebie whore… I loooooooooooove free stuff, especially if it’s actually useful.

Other than that, not much is new.  Landon is walking around joyfully as ever.  We stopped by school tonight to pick up our books, and being that I am taking 9 classes I have a ton of books.  Some moron decided that it would be a smart thing to put the bookstore (with no elevator access to students) on the very high second floor, so I brought muscles with me.  Luckily Jason is taking the same classes that I am (for the most part, just not as many) because my books alone were $600, and they were used.  Thank goodness for book vouchers or we’d never get back to school.

I have the hiccups for the 3rd time today, so I better run and do some somersaults around the living room.  Haha.

Carrying on…

Ok, so where did I leave off?

So last night, I spent the majority of the night experimenting with peppermint bark. I made a double chocolate batch, and cinnamon bark, which came out… just not really as I had planned. We could not find cinnamon candy canes anywhere, so Jason suggested I try cinnamon imperials and break them up by blending them. That worked great until the blending part, which turned them into cinnamon powder, and I went ahead with it anyway. It was an “interesting” batch to say the least, and I don’t think I will be sending any of it out. I think next time I will keep them whole, they are about the size that the candy canes should be when you put them in, but then again, the candy canes, which are easy to break when you don’t want to, I had to end up wrapping in a double Ziploc bag, and then a towel, and smashing them with a hammer. The cooking life is not easy, let me tell you.

This brings me to my next item on the agenda, the cooking site. I’ve already posted a few recipes that I had from way back when, and some of the new things I’ve tried. It’s been very active as of late, but once the holidays are over, it will probably slow down a ton. But you should check some of them out. I think they are pretty tasty. :) (And they all come with a picture that isn’t all fancy-schmancy-cookbook-beautified!)  There is also a list of the most recent posted recipes off to the right.

Tonight, Jason and I went to Souper Salad, because they are cheap, give unlimited food, and provided us with a nice non-distracting environment to do Jason’s midterm (that he finally got the access code to.) We were there for about an hour, and I helped him with notes and picking out the parts he had to include in his project. It brought back bad memories, because I only took that horrible midterm two months ago. Good riddance!

We were also slightly celebrating. Because my boss is so awesome, and we are getting short-handed soon, and super busy (like really busy, like I actually want people to stop dying, we’re getting in 3-6 cases in a DAY, and have 20+ concurrent, which means super busy workload) and he said that he would hire Jason for odd jobs, but basically wanted him in the system so that he is ready to go when we need him. Jason just has to take the drug test tomorrow, and I think he’s set. He will be doing a lot of work for me, because I am currently doing two and a half jobs because no one else has time to do them (and I’m not sure why they think I do) so my paperwork has been so behind. I probably have about 50 files sitting on my desk, and the pile grows larger daily, of files that need to be finalized and filed away. We also had a HUGE project a few weeks ago which included pulling files from a specific insurance policies and a specific casket company to get rebates on caskets, which was a huge profit (well maybe not in their eyes, but it was over twenty-thousand dollars worth, so I’ve heard) so all those files (probably 100+) need to be filed away in various storage locations as well. And then there’s running. I will lose my runner, Fred, at the end of December because he is taking two weeks off, and while the job has already been asked upon someone else, she is probably going to be put on services (as we are losing a Funeral Director for surgery) and then Jason could be my runner. I don’t really know how it’s all going to work out, but at least it will be something for him to do, he’s already going stir crazy at home. Plus, haha I just can’t stop, my boss wants him to be on the payroll for future computer issues that may arise. So hopefully he will be kept busy, and I will have a load off.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="189" caption="Preeeettttty (LG Lotus)"][/caption]

The other day, I met my dream phone on TV. Tonight, before dinner, we went in to the Sprint Store, and looked at it. It is so beautiful, I could cry. It is a purple PDA flip. Since I’ve had my MotoQ for almost a year, I can’t imagine going back to a normal phone. The one thing I don’t like about my phone (well the main thing) is that I have to lock it every time I put it down, or I end up calling Guatemala! Pain in the ass, but that’s where the flippy awesomeness comes in. Santa, if you want to drop one of those beauties in my stocking, I won’t mind. ;) Did I mention it’s purple? Yeah, its purple, metallic purple, even the keys illuminate purple. I love it!

I don’t know why, because our Christmas shopping is pretty much complete, but I have been looking at home-made gifts a lot, and I’ve found a few that I thought we’re just too good to keep to myself. The first one, is more kid oriented, and is a Pocket Advent Calendar. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it’s so adorable. I wish I had someone to make it for… although it’s a little late now. Another thing I came across was Homemade Gifts in a Jar, things like brownie or muffin mixes prepared in a jar so all you have to do is mix and bake. I’ve always thought these were cute, and very simple ideas, but again, it’s kind of late for me to do it for Christmas, especially this year, but some of them could be year-round type gifts. I am definitely bookmarking these for next year.

And lastly, something I haven’t posted about in a while: The Wedding! This Friday (well, hopefully) we are starting to look at locations. The one I am trying to set up an appointment for is the Waterfront. I found a list of wedding vendors online. The list had everything from reception sites to wedding cakes, and this one was ranked as $ versus the rest of Phoenix which was $$-$$$$ and Jason and I both really liked it. There were a few other places, but I wasn’t so big on their pictures, so we are checking this place out first. Also, I’m kind of bum on the whole wedding deal not only because of the financial situation but because of my “wedding court”. My Maid of Honor, whom I still haven’t asked, has been kind of giving me the brush off and unless I plan on asking her through MySpace, I don’t know when I’d get the “chance” to ask her in real-life time. One of the other people that I was going to ask has decided that she hates me, and until I have my Maid of Honor set, I don’t want to go any further in the asking process anyway. Ugh, I just hate this. This is supposed to be one of the most exciting times in my life, and so far, it’s been nothing but trouble. Even according to The Knot, I am behind. This is their to-do list:

• Begin envisioning your wedding --- formal hotel or friend's loft? Backyard barbecue or exotic beach? (Eh, sort of)


• Decide on a budget and hash out who's contributing.


• Knot Hint: For a quick and easy way to determine a budget, use The Knot Budgeter.


• Make sure to insure your engagement ring.


• Pick your preferences for a wedding date and time, and finalize after okaying with important guests, location, or officiant.


• Begin interviewing wedding consultants (if you'll have one) AND / OR start asking family AND friends for local wedding vendor recommendations.


• Brides: It's never too early to begin thinking about your gown. Start by figuring out what style will look best on you.


• Start interviewing caterers.


• Scout out reception sites. (Starting)


• Start looking for an officiant who suits your style and spirit.


• Book your reception site as soon as you see something you love that’s available on your date.


• If you're having an engagement party, set a date, draft a guest list, and purchase your invitations.


• Get organized! Start a notebook/file folder to house all your wedding-planning paperwork in one place.


• Begin working on a preliminary wedding guest list and decide on your wedding's approximate size. Request lists from both sets of parents and create your own wish list.


• Choose your bridesmaids/groomsmen and ask them to be in the wedding party. (Hahahaha right now...)


• Find a ceremony site if one hasn't been determined by your choice of officiant or reception site.


• Hire a consultant (if you're having one) and sign a contract.


• Contact newspapers to announce your engagement (you may need to have an engagement photo taken as well).


• Choose a color scheme, if you so desire, taking into account the decor of the rooms/areas you have reserved for your ceremony and reception.


• Decide on a caterer. Hash out a rough price per head and begin working on a menu.


• Brides: Begin looking at pictures of wedding dresses online and in magazines.  (Being doing that since I was old enough to know what a wedding was :P)


• Brides: When you've found some gowns you like, head out to the stores to try them on.


• Start investigating any ethnic customs or cultural traditions you might want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.


• Finalize the guest list.  (Knot hint: When you’re done, make your life easy by entering everything into the Guest List Manager.)


• Sign your caterer contract and send in a deposit.


• Start auditioning reception bands or DJs.


• If you've chosen an outdoor ceremony or reception site, look into tent and lighting rentals.


• Set up appointments with various florists to discuss options.


• Decide on and meet with your officiant to discuss ceremony structure and any religious requirements (such as counseling).


• Interview and get price lists from several wedding photographers and videographers.


• Book reception band or DJ, sign the contract, and send a deposit.


• Brides: Narrow down your gown choices and make a final decision.


• If you plan to use frequent flyer miles to travel to your honeymoon destination, book your flight now.  (Honeymoon?  Yeah, I don't think so... not even close ;/  )

The crossed out, is N/A and the bold is what we have done. Pretty sad. : ( Also, should I actually have bridesmaids, although the outlook is currently grim, this is the dress I liked for them.

Anyway, I think this is quite long enough for now, its bed time.

I am so exhausted right now it's not even funny. Jason is diligently working on his homework so he can get the validation code to do his mid-term and finish it by tomorrow. He's basically told me that he is going to stay up until it's done. Trying to be dedicated, I tried to stay up with him, but I think that after I am done typing this, I am giving up because it will be well past midnight, and that is well past my bed time. I have a good excuse though, I have a super busy day tomorrow! (That's a good one, right?)

Anyway, tomorrow I have to go to work to burn a CD, because I tried to burn it at home, and I can't get any computer here to do it. It's pretty ridiculous, but I was going to have to go to work tomorrow morning anyway to drop it off before 10 am. Such is life. Then, I am going to run back home and pick up the dogs, take them to get their nails clipped (for free, YAY coupons!) and then to see Santa (check your mail soon :D) and bring them back home. Then I will be going into work to actually work this time because I am soooo behind because we have been SLAMMED these past few weeks. I haven't had time to slack off and sit up front and chat for a LONG time, and I used to get 2-3 sessions (30-60 minutes long each) in a day. I don't think I've even taken a full lunch this entire week because I've been interrupted every step of the way. That part really sucks because I am working on something during my lunch, so I take the time to scarf my food down first, and spend the rest working on my "project" which has now been cut short, and I have 3ish weeks to finish it because it's a Christmas present. :/ After I work for about half a day, I will be helping to set up our yearly Christmas party for all those who have lost someone that past year. It's a really nice celebration, and afterward, my cool boss man is taking those who helped out for pizza and beer. I can't think of a better way to reward your employees. :P Pending the homework situation, Jason will be coming to my work around 5 to help out, and then he will also get the above mentioned reward. I really hope he does finish because, you can never complain about a free meal, and at this point in our life, we REALLY can't complain, especially when it is something as delicious as pizza!

As for Jason, today was his last day at work. I guess his old job has all but confirmed that he can have his old job back as of January 1st, but he's not looking forward to it, and neither am I, but at least its a paycheck if he doesn't get one before then. He also finally is getting rid of his car! Yay! Good bye Big Brown Boat. It took forevvvvvver, but we found a place to donate it to, and they are picking it up Monday.  That will also (hopefully) be a nice tax deduction for next year, and one some of their paperwork, they even talked about a hotel or vacation voucher if it was "worth" enough.  I doub't it will be, but wouldn't those be nice?

I have soooo much more to say, but I am so beat, so here are my reminders for tomorrow today later:

• Peppermint


• School


• Blind/Deaf


• Buca

(it will all make sense later, I promise!)

Ugh v2.0

Ok, so with Jason being completely tied up, I am sooooo bored.  I can't sew, or practice sewing because I have no fabric or (cheap) thread to waste, I can only knit so long before my fingers feel like they are going to fall off, and I don't have the expansion for WoW (or the paid account) to be able to play with anyone.  I registered for school for next semester, watched some TV and knitted tonight, but I am still soooo bored.  I think I am going to start dinner for tomorrow night just to kill some time... someone helppppp me, I need ideas of what I can do that will keep me occupied while Jason does his hours upon hours of homework.

Freeeedom!

So, while I temporarily feel bad for Jason, today has been incredibly AWESOME not having anything to do, so I can mess around all day and not feel guilty! I feel bad because he's stuck doing homework for the next month while I have none, however, I remember all those semesters while I was doing homework, and he was playing video games. So it helps with the guilt. :P

I whipped out the good ole' sewing machine (actually it's shiny and new!) and hemmed two pairs of pants that were in desperate need of it. One I have been wearing for months that had safety pins holding the hem up because it fell out a month after I had them altered (disgusting I know) and what's really bad, is when I took all the pins out, one of them had rusted. :(

I dragged Jason out to Joann's Fabric today, because they overcharged me (well, my mom) on some silicone baking cups, so I wanted me $4.04 back! While we were there, we picked up some thread for my pants, and a pet bed pattern which was completely out of place, but I had to get it, because that's one of the first projects I want to work on. However, I just noticed that the thread cost $5.36 a piece, but I went with that specific one because the person who sold us the sewing machine said it was better quality. I think I will investigate that more next time. Ouch. :/

Back to the projects, I didn't know what stitch to use, and I still don't know how to use the machine (there's sooo many buttons but I don't know what the heck they do) so I think I am going to ask one of the people who taught me how to knit, how to sew, versus going to classes, I'm kind of a retard when it comes to learning hands-on stuff. It took me like 2 weeks to learn how to knit properly, and a good 2-3 months to learn that I was casting on completely wrong, so everything I had made, was crap and would fall apart when it was washed. As for sewing today: I screwed up by picking a stitch that looked like was on one pair of the pants, and didn't change it to the correct foot, and jammed the damn thing, so I just went with the triple liney looking stitchy thing. Haha, see how technology has ruined me!?