New Year's Eve

Ah, the New Year is quickly approaching. The evening will be spent with family as we watch the ball drop. Oftentimes that doesn't even happen, as I fall asleep before it happens or we're watching a movie and miss it. New Year's celebrations strike me weird. Ever since the year I broke my leg it's just always been that way. I don't know why. I get introspective and oftentimes emotional. I would just hate to go out and "party". It wouldn't feel right. Most people think "good riddance" to the past year. But I think "man, that's another year pass....I don't know if I want it going this fast." And not that I think my life is horrible by any means but I think "we need to give this year one more chance at making things brighter for the world." I know I shouldn't do that because there have been wonderful things that happen in every year of my life. I should definitely focus on those. But then my mind thinks "I don't want to see the year go, it's been so wonderful." So no matter what way I look at it, it's a catch 22 and I would just like time to stand still. And people always think the new year is going to be bigger and better. They make their resolutions, which are never kept. I never have made a yearly resolution. I believe in daily resolutions and many at that. And they aren't things like "lose weight" But just "try to be a better person and more understanding". I think people make yearly resolutions and by the first week they mess up and say "oh well....there's always next year." By making daily resolutions you're constantly looking at yourself trying to be a better person. Of course this can backfire as well. Because then you're constantly looking at yourself, judging yourself. It is nice to have that happy medium, which is often hard to find. Well, anyway you look at your New Year's Even plans or your New Year, I hope it finds you well.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne,

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes, And pu’d the gowans fine,

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot Sin’ auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’t in the burn Frae morning sun till dine,

But seas between us braid hae roared Sin’ auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere, And gie’s a hand o’ thine,

And we’ll tak a right guid willie-waught For auld lang syne!

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup, And surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet For auld lang syne!

Trying To Get In My Head

Anyone else been reading about Saddam Hussein? I don't now why but ever since they announced the ruling has been upheld I've been drawn to anything that pops up on the yahoo/msn sites. Then I just pulled up the internet to find that about 7 minutes ago it will be within hours. It's just weird to me. Something I can't put into words very well. Does he deserve it? Yeah. But it's just weird. My mind goes round and round. At times I think he should have to wait and rot and think of all the things he's done. But he's one of those that just doesn't get it. And would never come around to those types of thoughts. Not to mention he'd be a huge security threat at all times. And also I think to myself that the world is answering his barabaric behavior with barbaric behavior almost as though it's ok. But then I think he should have to go through it since he put so many others through it. Then I think, "what is going to go wrong." I know it's so stupid to think about stuff like that but that's what I'm thinking. Originally he was to pass from US hands to Iraqi hands. Supposedly that has happened. But I still think, what if someone on the other side wants to help him and lets him lose. Then I think, "there's going to be an attack." or "something bad is going to happen." Now I know there are many theories about 9/11 and if he was or wasn't involved and in all honestly I don't feel one way or the other, but the thought of "what if" enters my mind. I know there are people out there that say that the US helped him become the dictator he was. I dunno. I think he would've gotten there without our help. That's just a guess though. I could be wrong about this but my understanding is that he hasn't even been tried for everything he's been accused of. I guess if you think about it, going through all of the ins and outs would be pointless as everyone knows he's guilty and it would be a waste of time. Haven't you ever wanted to get into someone's head? He'd be interesting. And definitely scary at the same time. Maybe too scary. Speaking of scary....this post is crazy. As you can see my head is going round and round and round and......sometimes I'd just like my mind to stop.

Merry Christmas

It's is now 10:32pm on Christmas Day. I hope everyone had a wonderful day no matter where they were. I have already posted pictures of all the festivities on our Flickr Account. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Santa brought a few gifts early this year....here are a few pictures from our Pre Christmas Eve Festivities.......

"You Gotta Be Shitin' Me"-Dad Finally Got His Bose Headphones

Rockin' Out

It's Officially Here

Yep, that's right. My hairstyle has entered the awkward stage. I can't seem to do anything with it and it just wants to be in whatever way it wants to be. Very frustrating. However, I continue to tell myself, "I really want long hair. I want to donate this for a good cause. No matter what I have to go through this stage." I just wish I could wear a hat everyday. It'd put less stress on my hair (no blowdrying, curling) and less stress on me. And I love hats, especially when they fit. Yeah, I have this issue with finding hats that fit me. Just as with jeans and everything else. I always find hats I love but they are way to huge. I've even started looking at kids hats. Anyway, before we left on our trip it was my mission to find a hat. Within 12 hours of leaving I finally found something. Sweet. Then another one. Then when we were in Disney I found another one. Say what? What did I do to deserve this?! I've been looking for one of those "military" style hats, but every one I find is huge or the adjuster thing has to be made super tight in order to fit, making the hat look ridiculous. One I found here was a military style and was slightly large, and the one from Disney is almost perfect. It does have an adjuster, but doesn't look crazy. And then my 3rd hat is from PacSun and has a Star Wars/gangster/bonnet feel to it. But anyway, I was excited. So right now that's all I want to do. Wear my hats and just be free. Today was my day off and I wore a hat. But tomorrow I must work which means the hair will be "done". Bummer. I think I may start taking some vitamins in hopes that the hair grows faster. At least to get me out of this stage. Just you wait, soon enough I'll be complaining that it takes too long to do my hair. Hey, I say let's just buzz it and be done with it. Sound good to you? I don't think my boss would be very thrilled with that. Being a female, isn't it fun???

Monday's Thought For The Day

MGM Osborne Spectacle Of Dancing Lights

Some of you may have already seen the Osborne Spectacle of Lights in the past, however this year they were "dancing". I caught one of the songs on video. In looking at other people's videos on YouTube I guess they had more than just the Wizards Of Winter song by Tran Siberian. Should've stayed longer, but with a million people around you that's kind of hard. Hope you enjoy!

Dreams Do Come True

All right. It’s Sunday afternoon and I have a few moments to jot down some stuff. Disney’s definitely a magical place. And I had many of those moments where my eyes filled with tears and had to ask myself, “Am I really here?” It’s just amazing. And I must say I was in my most relaxed state I’ve been in a LONG time. Couldn’t find the Magical Express booth at the airport and when we did the line was huge. That’s fine. It went real fast. We didn’t get the room we wanted with a king bed. No problem. Have crying kids on the bus. Whatever. Our cards got inactivated and we couldn’t get into the park. We’re not in a hurry. And that was only within the first hour of us arriving. Ah it’s nice to be relaxed and going with the flow. Why can’t I always be like that? We headed immediately over to the Magic Kingdom and right onto Pirates. It was awesome. Now mind you, I loved the ride before. But it’s definitely cool with the new additions. We were lucky multiple times by either getting right on and/or getting the front seats on rides. Space Mountain was definitely fun. Hearing David scream in the dark was hilarious. Then I got my turn up front and totally understood why he was screaming like a girl. Needless to say we rode Pirates and Space Mountain 3 times each during our stay. During the first day we caught the “Dreams Come True” Parade. It was my first teary-eyed experience of our trip. That was awesome and we ended up catching that a couple more times during our stay also. Afterwards we wanted to go to Downtown Disney. In order to do so we had to go back to a resort to catch a bus (there isn’t one from the Magic Kingdom). So we hopped on the first one that arrived and ended up heading the Old Key West Resort. Then come to find out we would have to take a boat ride instead of a bus ride to Downtown. We ended up being the only people on the boat and that was a very nice, unexpected experience. Those were a few highlights of our first day. The rest of our trip had many highlights too. Including having perfect timing for the opening of Epcot and not even trying to. Having wonderful meals with our Dining Plan. We ate at Mexico, China, Italy, and the ESPN Club just to name a few. It’s a great plan that I would highly recommend for anyone. You each get one counter service meal (includes drink, entrée, and dessert), 1 snack (many choices to choose from), and then 1 table service meal (includes drink, appetizer, entrée, and dessert) per day. Considering we never get dessert and we hardly ever get an appetizer, let alone our own. And oftentimes we even share meals. At times I felt that all we were doing was eating and felt full all the time. We got to each of the parks and got on all the attractions that we wanted to and saw everything we wanted to. We got to see all of the night attractions at each of the parks from parades to fireworks, etc. Not having to wake up to an alarm each day. Not having a set schedule. Even trying to go out to eat and getting caught in a downpour was fun. We ended up going back to the hotel room and ordered a pizza. It was a nice night in. They had a channel that had all the old cartoons from when we were young. That was fun and great to reminisce. I can’t believe how many cartoons I remember. Something that was definitely made clear was that we still do not want to have children. Having just 2 people was Heaven compared to what we were seeing around us. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I must say I missed my kids in Ohio though. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking care of them. I feel as though this post is so unorganized, but at this time that’s how my mind is with everything that has happened within the past week. It’s as though it’s going a mile a minute remembering what happened that it’s so hard to put into words. All I know is that I’m smiling and our first vacation was well worth the wait. I’m ready to plan the next one!

We're Back....

Hey All! We've arrived back in Ohio. Disney was a blast and was truly a dream come true. I've already posted the pictures in our Flickr account. Feel free to enjoy. I hope to post a little more later. But as of now tons of wash needs to be done and I must get things situated around here. Hope everyone has had a great week and ends their weekends well.

Now It's Time To Say Goodbye...

Hey, Hey, Hey! Can you believe it?! It's less than 12 hours away....actually less than 10! It's been a long time coming and I must say we waited very patiently. It seems as though it's been a fast 9 months (since we made our reservation). Gosh. Bring on Sunshine. Bring On Disney and Happy Ever After. Adios! See ya in 8 days!

Ah, the new luggage smell

Okay, it's not really new luggage but give me a break. It was mighty nice cutting the tags off of the luggage we received almost 5 years ago. Yes, believe it or not we have never used the luggage we received for our wedding since we've never gone on vacation. And now that it's been through 4 moves (without being used) the time has come and the tags are off! The personalized Disney tags are attached and ready to go. Can you tell I'm already packed? Just waiting for David....of course I've got tons of other stuff to do around the house. You know I can't come home to a dirty home. Spic and Span, that's the way it must be.

Soon.....

First Up, Pin The Leg...Second, Splenectomy

Yesterday was a crazy day. I must say everything was pretty normal until surgeries hit at work. We ended up having to pin a dog's leg due to it having a fractured femur. Since it was right above the knee and not midshaft a pin was the best way to go. This was not a normal sized dog though. This was a 10 week old jack russell puppy that was only 5 pounds. Big dogs are hard to pin just because of their size. But small dogs have their issues too...for instance 1/4 inch difference could mean whether your in or out of the bone. So it was pinned. Good to go. We went to take postoperative radiographs. No go. Pins weren't lined up. Okay, start all over. Hang the leg, rescrub the surgical site.....basically do the entire surgery over. The pins ended up perfect. Let's hope the puppy and the owners are good at taking care of the leg. Then a coworker came in with her dog. It just didn't look right. She was lethargic, not eating for a day, and her gums were pale. And when I say pale, I mean totally white. We immediately grab blood work on her and I get that running while they take radiographs. Oh crap. A mass shows up on her radiographs. Looks like on the spleen. Should we do surgery or not? Can Doc do it or not...due to him having such a long day. The decision's made. We'll do the surgery. So we get started. First cut. Wham. Blood everywhere. She's bled out. Well what are we going to do with all of this blood? Why not use it for her. So we grab syringes and start sucking it all up and make a mixed bag of fluids with blood to autoinfuse her. Mind you we must keep sterile during this entire procedure. The amount of blood was crazy. You should've seen the surgery suite floor. I tired to clean up as much as I could as they continue into her and find that it looks as though it was her spleen. Possibly a cyst that hemmorhaged. They perform a splenectomy. By the time we're done it's about 7:45pm. It's decided that she should probably be taken up to the emergency clinic in Elyria just to be safe and cover all of our bases. That way my coworker wouldn't have to worry during the night and they'd have all the necessary supplies. She asks if I'd go with her to ride in the back. I said definitely, no problem. And off we went. The rest of the night was quite normal, but we didn't get home until around 9:45. That was a long day considering I had gotten up at 6am and been to work by 7:45am. Ahh, it reminds me of being in New Orleans....just like the good ol' days. I must say I don't think my body is quite as used to it as I was then. I'm quite tired. And as usual I could hardly sleep last night with crazy work dreams going on in my head. But tomorrow is a day off to get things done. I may just have to take a Tylenol PM in order to have a good nights sleep.

Oh no. Christmas Cards.

So Monday is here and at this point I'm ready for a countdown. I have Wednesday off and I took Friday off to get things in order to leave early Saturday morning. Every site I look at has a different forcast. One has it being sunny with 77 degrees the other 72 with a slight chance of rain. At this point I'll take either considering it's only 21 degrees as we speak and I finally broke out the long johns. Oh yes I did. I'm not crazy. I've also started Zicam and Vitamin C. No big reason...just covering all the bases. I must say for the past 24 hours though my tummy has been swirling about. Not sure what's up with that. I'm figuring it's due to whatever I'm eating but I don't feel as though I have eaten that much. And I definitely know I've eaten enough. I know it will pass. We got some Christmas shopping done this weekend. I think all we have left is the two dad's, Sita, and David. I already know about Sita's gift, it's just getting it together. The dad's are always one of the hardest to buy for. And then you have David who has a million things on his "list" which all start at about $50-$100 a pop. Take that times 5-7 items. Not happening. He's trying to figure out something for me. I must say I'm definitely hard to buy for. The way I feel about gifts is that I'd rather give than receive. And that's truly how I feel. For instance if I'm out shopping. I'm more apt to find something for mom or something. I guess it also says that I'm a picky shopper too. I just don't like to settle on things. I feel as though I have all I need and it's really got to grab me in order for me to get it. Sometimes I just feel so wasteful when I look into my closet or drawers. At the same time I have to hope I don't need to dress up for anything. Because my wardrobe is basically scrubs, t-shirts, and jeans. Anyway, I can't help David in giving him any ideas for me because right now I'm at a loss myself. He'll figure it out. He's always creative. I finally broke down and got Christmas cards yesterday. I always have said I'll never send Christmas cards out. But we've started receiving them from our neighbors. That puts us in an odd position. And considering they were the ones who brough cookies over last year too I figured I'd better step it up. I gotta be honest with all of you though. I just can't send them out to people. I'll probably do a few neighbors and that's it. I think it's kind of pointless especially when you don't even write in them. I feel as though I'm killing a tree and not to mention wasting postage and the postman's time. I love the idea of the "generic" letter. Where you place it in the card. Because that gives everyone an idea of what has happened in your life throughout the year. But at this point I can't say anything that exciting has happened and I definitely can't place that in our neighbor's cards because they'd have no idea what I was talking about (we know them, but not that well.) Anyway, please don't expect a card from us. You know we love you all. But let's face it, I don't have the time, the money, and for me to sum up an entire year in a paragraph or two is impossible, let alone trying to make it interesting for everyone to care about is impossible too. However, I must say we had a good time looking at the cards. They are all so pretty. Very hard to choose. And since we aren't sending that many out I went for the nicer ones. Very elegant. Whatever. Add it to my list of things to do this week. Better get to work now. Hope everyone has a joyous Monday.

Monday's Thought For The Day

Welcome To Ohio

We've been having unusually warm weather in Ohio this week. We're talking low to mid 60's. That's just crazy. However, it looks as though the bottom is going to start to drop out. By 4pm today the temperature will be down to 50 degrees and then it looks as though it will just drop from there. High near 45 tomorrow. Then 34 Sat and Sun. Then a cold 25 on Monday! That's crazy talk. But it's Ohio for you. I've also been looking at Orlando's weather. Of course it's a week ahead of time, but it looks like it will be high of 71 and scattered showers on next Saturday. You can bet that I'll be keeping an eye on that. Maybe I should invest in some ponchos before we leave...instead of paying high dollar down there. That's a thought. I'm sure most of you were already on the email list but to fill you in. Mom was supposed to retire this week from Ford/Visteon/whatever name you want. Basically it was a buyout type of deal. But at the last minute has decided to change her mind. At this time she's going to ride it out and see what happens. Not that it matters, but I think it's a good decision. As she stated, she wouldn't actually be retiring....she still would need to make money. And why not continue to make the money while she can, in addition to keeping benefits and earning more money towards retirement. They don't know what to expect in a variety of ways, including the next contract. There may not be good health insurance coverage or any at all. But I'm sure if they'd pull active workers benefits the retirees benefits wouldn't be far off from being diminished either. I'm proud of you mom. I think you just wanted to have some cake...wink, wink. It kind of reminds me of the time we had to celebrate Lily's Birthday twice since I messed up the month. That's why she's aging so fast! Dumb me. Last night we started working on our luminaries. We've decided to try something else.....aluminum/tin can types instead of milk jugs. I think they're going to be cool. Our neighbor Sue works for Serving Our Seniors and has access to the big cans, so she's been having them collect them. After taking about 45 minutes and ruining 2-3 cans we figured out the easiest way to drill holes in them. It's definitely not good to pound them! Drilling is the best. They look cool. I hope they show up enough. I like the idea because it's different and doesn't look like we're copying from anyone. With that being said I don't think we're in the Christmas decorating mood much anymore. We're still digging the music, but I must say it's awful hard to listen to it while it's 60 frickin' degrees outside. Soon enough. I'm sure I've already posted this. But it kind of freaks me out that Christmas is right around the corner. It's like I'm going through the motions, but it still should only be spring or something. And then to even think that 2007 is peaking around the corner. Yikes. I must comes to terms with all of this and enjoy it. Have a good day everyone!

Monday's Thought For The Day

Christmas Spirit

Hello. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are rested up for the work week. We of course had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but I can't say that I'm rested up. As most of you can tell with how sparse my posts have been things still have been quite hectic around here. Studying up on Disney (okay, not really studying but just reading everything I can because I'm so excited), decorating (along with dealing with all of the buzzkills of decorating...keep reading), and getting more involved in our community. Let's start with the community thing. As stated in a previous post, we're trying to build a better neighborhood. Not that it's bad, but just giving it a nudge in the right way. We've been getting to know our neighbors up the street (Mark and Sue). They're the ones with the House On Third Street. If you haven't heard of their house, you must check it out. It's the "foam house" that's energy efficient. Anyway, they're great people and we've been getting to know each other by working together. They're front stoop has a great quote that I feel sums up what's we're working for.....“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead. We have many things that have been brought to the table but at this time we're focusing on a few. Those include......starting a new tradition on our block with luminaries, having a Holiday Get Together to get to know one another, having neighborhood meetings, and then also trying to apply for a grant to have different street signs installed that distinguish us from the rest of the city. So as you can see, that emcompasses a lot. Basically what we're focusing on is building camaraderie and hope that in moving in a positive direction others will follow. We went door to door on Saturday giving out information in regards to the party and the luminary plans. It was great weather and most people were already outside, so it made it easy. I'm excited for what we're doing. And it's fun at the same time. I've posted the blog I started for our neighborhood in my Links to the left. To explain the name McKelvey Plat....our area was formerly called this, so we've grabbed on to that. Ahh, so the decorating buzzkills. As I stated in the last post I feel as though we've been buying so many lights but our house needs something more. One thing is we're using blue lights. Not too bright versus clear/white lights. Then trying to get the darn colors to match. Now I know why people choose clear! It's been frustrating. First the rope lights didn't match, now we have the big bulbs that don't match the small bulbs (but those are staying darn it....because they're already up and out of the box). Then we got some other big round bulbs. Those don't match the small bulbs...they match the big ones. Not a big deal, but I think they're going to be hard to keep up (they're "frosted" and the pain will chip off). So sorry, but those got to go back. We were hoping to get bigger bulbs in hopes of lighting this place up but it's been hard. Then we have a large side of the house that's exposed and just waiting to be decorated. So we figured we could do something for that. We'd like to make a sign out of wood but being that we will be leaving in a week or so I don't think it's going to happen. So I thought "what about a big wreath?" Mom and I went to Pat Catans. We even brainstormed how to hang the thing and went to Home Depot to get hardware. And we bought ribbon and made a hug bow. Then got to our house and found that our house dwarfed the frickin' wreath. AND the blue spotlight we got to highlight the wreath didn't show up at all since it was too far from it. Dang it! So the $40 wreath must be taken back along with the bulb for the spotlight, and the 3 boxes of round bulb lights. I think I've made more returns in the past month than I've ever made in my entire life. Shouldn't this be easy? Nah, of course not. Poor David. He's just bummed. He wants that "cool" house on the street...of course we want to be classy and not trashy. It will come...it will come. And at this point we've put a lot of money into it. I don't want to spend much more this year. Hey, I got to have something to take on vacation. Okay, I'm done with that subject. It's my last week of the semester this week. Sweet. However, I went to send my stuff in tonight and found I need to have my huge checklist submitted by tomorrow. Whoops, I thought I had another week. And it must be signed....bad news. So I somehow have to get it signed tomorrow (the person who needs to sign it is off). It will get done. And work has been extra stressful for me lately. I shouldn't say stressful, but very tiring. I'm working up front in reception training the new girl, but double timing in the back when they need me to help or during surgeries. So I feel like I'm being torn in every direction. And I don't want to bring it up to the boss because then they'll think that I can't handle it. I thrive on this type of stuff. But you have your limit. And I don't feel that the pressure is evenly spaced between individuals. And I'm trying to be as understanding and supportive as I can be as there is a deeper story to the situation at work. But I'll just leave it at that. Let's just say I'll be ready for Florida when it arrives. Hopefully I'll be able to keep more up to date with the blog, at least until we leave. Sorry for those that have missed it. Love to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Very Productive Weekend

Good Evening! We've been keeping busy around the Henry household lately, as you can probably guess with me not posting very much. It's crazy for me to think that the holiday season is already here....however, at the same time I'm ready for it to be here. Ready to enjoy family, Christmas lights, holiday movies, and vacation. On Friday we headed to Chet and Matt's then to the mall. On Saturday we slept in a little since we both had the day off and got our indoor Christmas decorating started. We've never started decorating this early, but we feel like it and with us being gone for a week I want to be able to enjoy it while we can. Saturday afternoon was spent at the 'rents house watching The Game. It was a very good game. Some nailbiting moments for me but some fun jumping up and down moments too. I agree with Sita, we should set up a camera with a tripod sometime to videotape ourselves going crazy. Let's just say we're all pretty animated. For instance, Dad flies out of the recliner as Sloopy goes flying off the back. Poor guy. Quite a treat to see though. That evening we went to Friendlys to celebrate with some sundaes and went to Walmart to get even more Christmas lights. I swear we've bought so many lights but when you look at our house we have a ways ago. A little each year, I say. It will be cool. At the same time though, we've bought a lot and returned a lot too. The colors don't match or something. So maybe it just seems as though we're buying a lot. This morning we got up and headed outside to work on Christmas lights and the yard. Of course it rained/drizzled today, but the yard is hopefully cleaned up for the year (probably not but at least I can hope). After that we went on the walk around the neighborhood with our neighbors to count the street signs and such. Remember we've been involved in trying to make our neighborhood more distinguished? We're going to try to have different/nicer street signs installed (with grant money)...so it's just one of the steps along the way. After that we came in to our warm and cozy house and finished decorating the tree. I must say I really love it this year. Very pretty. And we hardly put any ornaments on. I just didn't feel like it this year. And it looks just as beautiful. While David watched the game mom and I went out bumming....you know the usual....walmart, lowes, meijer, the mall. We got everything for Thanksgiving and of course picked up even more Christmas lights. We had dinner at Bob Evans and then here we are settling down getting ready for the next week. Enjoying our tree, listening to some Jim Brickman, surrounded by our kids. It can't get any better than this. We send our love to everyone...and hope everyone has a wonderful beginning to their Holiday week.

Go Buckeyes!

New Buckeye Video

I threw this together this morning....enjoy!

Monday's Thought For The Day

Beat Michigan Week

Go Buckeyes!

The Chicago Experience

I finally have a moment to sit down and write. We had a great time in Chicago and learned tons of stuff. We ended up getting there at a decent time on Friday so we spent the evening on Michigan Ave. That in itself was a learning experience. Needless to say we seemed to do everything backwards. Parking was quite expensive. We expected it to be high but not $32 for 3 hours! In searching for parking it seemed as though there were many lots but all of them were full. So when we passed a parking garage we took it. We didn’t see the price sign upon entering, until we got to the ticket thing. That’s when we realized it was going to be expensive. We had no way out. And there were signs everywhere saying to pay in the lobby, there’s no attendant on duty at the bottom. So we got out and decided to find the lobby. That was a trip in itself too. We finally found it, only to find that it was like an atm machine how you pay. So I figured we’d ask someone about the parking. She said that most places were about the same price but if we pay for something in the mall then we could get the ticket validated and get cheaper parking. Good to go. So we went about our business and went EVERYWHERE. And got our ticket validated. The validation ink was kind of smeared so the concierge said that if we have problems to just push the “ask for assistance button” on the machine. We went to pay for our parking and it came up $32 instead of the $11 with the validation. So we pushed the button and a maintenance person hurried over and pushed cancel and said “there’s someone at the bottom of the parking ramp” and to just pay there. Say what? So there was someone at the bottom of the garage in the first place? So we went there and found out our parking was $32. You see we went over the 3 hours limit for our validation time. Ah well. Also, we had been shopping everywhere and then of course near the end of our time there we found a place that had all these free maps and stuff. Once again, ah well. But we had a wonderful time and it was nice to be back in a city again. Oh, but one thing that was a huge buzz kill was the gap. I was all siked to go there because the product red stuff. We got there and they had all the same stuff that was in Ohio. So as I had thought they must be slowly releasing the different shirts, sayings, etc. Anyway, I figured, “well why not take some pictures.” And all the sudden I had a manager yelling to me saying no photographs are allowed. I can understand why to a certain extent but then I think to myself. You have this store on Oprah and it’s such a big deal with the product red stuff, wouldn’t you expect people to take pictures? Also, I’ve seen other people’s personal pictures on the Internet. So I got a couple pictures before they could catch me. But anyway, it was a HUGE bummer. And I must say I was on the bandwagon before but at this point I’m very disappointed and I feel that they’re going to lose a lot of interest due to only having a few things out and also the price of the items. I get the concept of the proceeds going to the organization but everywhere you read it says something different. Some say all the profit, some say net profit, and some say something totally different. There’s a big difference. Not to mention, they have sweatshirts that are still around $50. That’s just crazy. But I guess if you’re already willing to pay that for a sweatshirt then you might as well get one that has proceeds going to something. But me, I won’t pay that much for a sweatshirt. Whatever. As stated before, we learned a lot at the conference. The hotel was super nice. It was a Westin. I’ve always known them to be nice, but have never been in one. I believe it was pretty new too. There were fresh flowers everywhere and the ambience was awesome. However, there were no vending machines anywhere….only the mini bar with $7 snacks and a closed coffee place that sells $4 coffees. And when you get there at 10pm and want something, that’s pretty inconvenient. Even the water in the room was $4 per bottle. Good thing we made friends with the bellhop. When we were searching for something we ran back into him and asked where we could find some water. He said, “You want water?” And then handed us each a bottled water. That was nice and actually I think they were his personal waters. Of course there were many other things that happened but I’d be here for days telling you about all of that. And it’s about time to head down to our neighborhood meeting. Have a great rest of the week. Happy Birthday Sita!

Chicago's Coming

Last day of work this week. Sweet. I'm sure by the end of the weekend by brain will be so full I'm not sure what I'll do with it. We've decided to leave a bit earlier tomorrow. Hopefully around 9:30-10:00. We weren't planning on leaving until noon, but that'd get us into the city about rush hour. I know any hour of traffic in Chicago isn't good, but I'd like to avoid that. The past 24 hours I've been working hard to get things together. Is anyone else like that? You bust your butt to clean before leaving on a trip in hopes that when you get back you come home to a clean and orderly house? The bathrooms are cleaned, dogs have had baths, flea and heartworm preventatives given, wash done, folded, and put away. The list goes on. Leaving for Disney should be interesting. Even more things to do and let's hope that the cats don't secretly have a party when we're away! I always think of that Tidy Cats commercial when they're having a party while the owner's away. Jax always watches us from the window while we leave to go anywhere. I can just see him being the lookout and then running in and unlocking the dog kennels and having a good ol' time. I know, it's not realistic, but it brings a smile to my face thinking about it. So mischevious. I've also been working on a Photo Story project for someone at work. Her son will be 1 in December, so it's all pictures from his first year. Just trying to find that right song(s) to put with it. My tastes may be very different than hers and we seem to be having a hard time thinking of one. Or we'll hear something and I try to find it to download it and can't find it. At this point I don't want to buy an entire CD just for one song for this. I was thinking of using a Jim Brickman song. Piano that's very soothing and progressive at the same time. However, with the amount of pictures (69) I'm going to need another song. So I was thinking something slower to begin with and then maybe a more upbeat one. Any ideas??? Better get going. Hope ya'll have a great end to the week and warm and cozy weekend.

There's A Reason We Don't Keep Candy In The House

We had a great day. We ended up getting the pups all dressed up and took them out to Osborne Park for the Dog Halloween Party. They had a costume contest. Not really knowing what to expect, we just entered Viking. He ended up winning 3rd place for scariest costume. Ha! Ha! Too cute. He got his picture taken and had to walk in a big circle so everyone could see him. And he got a goody bag filled with treats and a toy. There was even a ribbon attached. Of course he shared with his sister. We then stopped by Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. I definitely miss being able to take them out as much as we did in New Orleans, or even Michigan for that matter. It's not very pet friendly around here and when you only have 1-2 places to go, it goes pretty fast when you take them out. I posted some pictures on Flickr, so make sure you check them out. Tonight we had trick or treating. That was fun. Not as busy as we expected, but it was steady. And I think people appreciated our decorating, at least our older neighbors did anyway. I think a few want to kick their decorating up a notch next year. That'd be fun. It's just not the same as back in the day. I remember going to Aunt Cindy and Uncle Kyle's on central ave and even waiting in like to get candy. They weren't huge lines, but still, the street seemed packed. Of course I was young at the time and everything feels huge when you're young. But that's one of those fond memories that sticks out in my head. Ewwww, I had too much candy while we were waiting for kids to come around. There's definitely a reason why we don't keep candy in the house. I'd eat it! And David was guilty too. As I sit here I can just feel it in my stomach. Yuck! And I hate to say it but we still have a good amount left over....great....ah well. Since it was our first year here we didn't know what to expect. Now we know. Tomorrow's Monday Night Football with the Vikes, so the Henrys will be here to help us cheer them on. Hope everyone has a wonderful beginning to their weeks.

Christmas Craziness

Okay, I'm feeling better now. I don't really think I came down with something. However, I'm not usually a type of person that suffers from allergies. Whatever, either the Zicam worked wonders or I just felt crappy for no reason. I think of writing on here a lot, but it seems as though I never get around to it. Either I don't feel inspired or I just don't have time, which makes no sense, because I should have more time now than I did in the summer. I did take some time to make the website about the McKelvey Plat. If you want to check it out, click here. I hope everyone changed their clocks last night, or your sitting here reading that at the "wrong" time. It's always nice to gain an hour. David and I have been truly crazy with the whole Christmas thing. Yes, we ended up buying an entire tray of blue lights. Hey, they were on sale. And if we have too many, we'll take them back. However I think we'll make use for them all. And we got a few other things for the windows that light up and some new Christmas ornaments. I have always felt I don't need anymore ornaments, which really we don't. My mom and dad always went out the day after Christmas and fought the crowds at hallmark. So then we'd always get the ornaments one year later, which means all of us kids have a decent sized ornament collection of good ornaments. But I've come to the decision, I do not have to put them all on every year. I've always felt obligated to do so, but this year will be different. And of course we found tons of cool ornaments at Kohls and Hallmark has some really cute ones too. It's hard for me to believe it's only October with all of the Christmas around us. But I like Christmas time. Just like fall, it gives me that warm fuzzy feeling. So I'm going to enjoy it. We're going to have the problem we always had when we had leave. Not enough time to enjoy the tree, etc. While David was in the Marines we always had almost a month of leave at the time of Christmas, meaning we put our tree up, left, came back, and then had to take it down. It's not going to be so much like that this year, but with us being gone for over a week, it takes time away for us. I'm sure once New Years hits, or even before, I'll be ready for everything to come down though. But, back to reality, it's Halloween this week and trick or treating tonight. So today we're going to spend a little bit of time putting a few more decorations up outside that normally aren't out (the ones that aren't weather friendly). We may even take the dogs somewhere, so they can wear their costumes. I still have to make a list for things to take to Chicago. Believe it or not, it's here. And as always I must be ready way ahead of schedule. I've already got things mapped out and ready to go in that area. I better get to my daily cleaning ritual before David gets up. Hope everyone has a great fall-filled day!

I Have That Yucky Feeling

I must say I feel kind of crummy right now. Yesterday I woke up with a weird throat feel. Not really sore, but just not right. Then last night I was achy. This morning I just feel weird. Nose is a little more stuffed and I still feel achy. I'm using the Zicam in hopes that it lessens the time of whatever I have. Because don't you know I'm going to Chicago in a week. This cold will not stop me! I had the day off yesterday but needless to say it didn't feel as though I did. I had a list of things to do and hardly got anything done. It was time to take 2 exams for my classes. And each exam had two parts. They are timed but the good thing about them is you can retake them. And in the past I’d do well, but I’d always retake them to get a new bank of questions and to try getting as best of grade as I could on them. Well, this time was no different, with the exception that I felt as though I didn’t know any of the answers! So I kept taking them, saving the text to Word (for future reference), and then retaking them. However, at this point I was just hoping for a passing grade. Say what? Yeah, I don’t know if what they’re teaching isn’t matching up or if I’m just not absorbing what I’m learning. Not to mention as stated in a previous post, I’m “learning” things that I will NEVER use again. Things that doctors usually are learning in school. Whatever, I took them and it’s over with. At least those exams. Thank God I can retake them as many times as I want. It just took me an entire day! Last night I tried posting of Blogger but it said the site was under maintenance. And this morning I could sign in but when I went to post it said that it was not connected with Blogger. So I don’t know what’s up. But right now I’m typing in Word and then plan on transferring it to the site. Hopefully that works. We’re getting involved in this group that trying to better our community, especially our neighborhood. So last night we had our second meeting for that. I feel as though it’s going to be a long process, especially to get fire under other people’s butts. But I think at the same time, it’s worth it. According to city officials we’re located on what used to be know as the McKelvey Plat. So we’re trying to go off of that. We’re thinking of small ideas that could possibly lead to bigger ideas to make us a more connected and possibly more picturesque neighborhood. As stated, we need to get more people involved. But our ideas to begin with are….starting a form of “honey do” list and then individuals in the area can help each other, since everyone has different sets of skills. Kind of like forming more camaraderie. And having monthly meetings to get more people involved. And then to take the neighborhood farther, apply for a grant through the city to install special street signs in the area of the plat so it’s distinguishable to everyone, building a sign for when you enter the neighborhood, plaques for everyone’s house, spray painting everyone’s address on the curb/sidewalk, trying to get the city involved in taking some of our huge trees down that mess up the sidewalks, and then replant smaller ones that could all possibly be decorated for the holidays. So ideas such as that. Anyone have any other ideas? But with anything, we must start somewhere, which is where we are. We brought up the idea of starting a form of a website and I threw my name out there to help. They seemed up for it, so I think I’m going to build another blog and go from there. I figured it’s free, and it will definitely suffice for what we need right now. Hopefully it would help get everyone on the same page and let everyone know what’s going on with pics and stuff. Anyway, when I get that up and running I’ll get ya’ll to check it out. I better continue getting ready for work.. Have a great day!

Monday's Thought For The Day

Restful Weekend

Hello! As always I tend to ingnore this thing and then when I sit down I have tons to write and I feel as though I'm writing a book here. Today will be no different. I decided to take Friday off. The schedule looked good and I was "sick". The office manager was on the bandwagon with me, the doctor wasn't. For all he knows, I was at work on Friday (he was out of state, remember?) And if you remember he had forgotten about trying to give me Tuesday off, so I figured when I show up tomorrow he won't remember that he told me to take Monday off and not Friday. Whatever. So I took Friday off. I didn't really sleep in though. Mom invited me to Grandparents Day at Cassidy's school, so I figured I'd go with her. I know I'm not a grandparent, but Dad couldn't go since he was working, and I figured I'd just take his place. Mom took the day off specifically for that. It was great. We got to see where she went to school and then her locker and desk, and got to meet her teacher. See read a book to us and we even got to play a game with her. I think she was happy that we came, as there were some kids that didn't have anyone. I took some pictures while we there. They're posted on our Flickr account. I'll get back to my story, but I heard a few of you were having a hard time figuring out the Flickr thing. I have it set up a few ways to get to it from here. First, you can see the "badge" to the left with all the pictures. If you click on "what is this" it will come up with "This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from heidihvt....." If you click on heidihvt, it will take you immediately to our collection. Second, if you scroll down on the left side of the screen you'll see a section that says "Heidi's Links" and below it says "Our Flickr Collection." If you click on that, it will take you immediately there also. (You do not have to perform both of those to get there, but I figured you can choose whatever's easiest for you.) Usually I post that I've posted new pictures but if you keep an eye on the badge and see new pictures, then that means I've posted some (it shows our most recent pics). When I post a picture in our collection it puts it in our main pool of pictures and then I can choose to put in a specific "set". So you can either browse through the pool (shown from most recent on) or choose a set which are listed on the right side of the screen. Hope this clears any problems that you may be having. Please let me know if you have any issues. So back to my story.....after Grandparents Day mom and I decided to go on a mission. Just last week mom saw on Oprah the (Product) Red stuff. If you missed it, check out Oprah's Site. It's a cool concept that Bono from U2 and another guy thought of. It links this concept with companies in order to support the prevention and treatment of Aids in the world and especially Africa. Basically how it works is there are certain products from certain companies called "red products". When you buys these products a certain amount of the proceeds goes toward helping. And these "red products" aren't necessarily red in color, some are, but not all. For instance, Gap is one of the companies participating. They have these shirts that say Inspi(red) or Empowe(red). They even have coats, normal jeans, bags, and accessories that are part of the (Product) Red line. With their products, 50% profit goes to the organization. And some of the products are even made in Africa, or the material comes from there. You get the concept. So mom and I went on a mission to find shirts. I had the 3 closest Gaps mapped out and all. We found our Inspi(red) shirts at the first stop. Sweet! They didn't have as much as we hoped for, but we got something. I don't think they have all of their products out that they are planning to release, since there are certain sayings that we had hoped to find and didn't. Of course they plan on keeping this organization as an ongoing effort. With the Gap signing on for at least a couple years, I think that they plan on releasing items throughout that time and not all at once. But of course with the demand they are going to start out at their Flagship store and then trickle on down to the rest. Needless to say, I can't wait to go to the Gap in Chicago! I think the whole (Product) Red is an interesting concept. As my mom and I discussed, we cannot go to Africa or anywhere else for that matter, to help. We'd love to be able to, but we can't. And just with the buying power that we have, we can give in just a small way. And as I stated, the products are cool anyway. If you want to know more about (Product) Red, check out their site.So we did that and then we still headed to the Great Northern Mall. We had a great lunch at Brown Bag Burgers. I definitely recommend it. VERY good and VERY affordable. Even one of the Cleveland News Channels recommended it. We went to the mall and walked around. Didn't find much but did find these super cute bandanas for the pups. This woman made them and she even had a Minnesota Vikings one. And for a couple dollars more she embroidered Viking's name on it. He's so handsome. So all in all we had a great day. It was nice to spend time with my mom and to be able to chill. We didn't do much else the rest of the day. On Saturday I woke up early to mow the lawn while David was at work and then as usual we bummed around and then finally ended up at a friend's house watching the OSU game. While we were out bumming we bought our first Christmas lights for the season. I can't believe it. It's right around the corner. We're going to have a "blue house" for Christmas. We've always loved houses that are all blue lights outside, so we figured we're try it. As for our tree I think we're going to go with teal, purple, and blue lights, with our usual Hallmark ornaments. I swear, we change the color of our tree lights every year. This year will be no different. On Saturday night we had hoped to go to the movies but were blindsided with the fact that they aren't showing the ones we want to see around here. First, Nightmare Before Christmas 3D. I guess it has to be shown on a specific screen and the closest one is in Columbus. That's a no go. And Marie Antoinette. The closest one for that is in Elyria. Since we had just been to Elyria last week and mom and I up that way on Friday that was a no go either. So we sat at home, with our candles lit, watching our Nightmare Before Christmas. Of course I fell asleep. Today we woke up and David surprised me by taking me to McDonald's for breakfast. Okay, I know it's only McDonald's, but he took us down to Jackson Street Pier and we sat watching and eating. Those are the times I cherish and want to hold on to forever. We did our usual grocery shopping and David had NFL Sunday with his dad while his mom and I tried to figure out my sewing machine. It's been over a year since I used it and it's amazing how little details slip your mind. We figured it out and I finally finished altering Viking's and Lily's Halloween costumes. I'll post pictures soon....too cute. We had a our last bit of weekend freedom a little while ago....Cold Stone. Yum! Tomorrow it's back to work. But hey, one more week closer to Chicago and Disney!!!! Smile Everyone!

Just to fill you in on all that happened yesterday.....I went to work, and my coworker wasn't mad at me. She was actually glad I showed up. And she didn't get called away to her child. The morning wasn't too bad and more than likely she could've handled it. But as expected when surgeries hit it was a good thing I had decided to come in. I could only have imagined how long it would've taken for them to have them completed. The office manager thanked me for coming in, the doctor didn't even remember he had told me to take the day off. Say what? So I sat up worried all night.....However I did plant the seed about Friday and Doc said, "how about monday" Boo, I'd rather have friday off. Of course the office manager and doctor disagreed again and the office manager said I could take it off as long as the schedule looks light. And this time I'm going to follow the office manager's advice! So as always, it's a wait and see. I don't know if I proved my integrity to the doctor. And I'm not really sure about the office manager either. I think I have already proved myself in the past so it wasn't that big of a surprise that I showed up. And I must say they still tend to notice the little things I do that I don't even think anything of...and they acknowledge me for them. I know my other coworkers appreciated it. And my heart and mind definitely appreciated it....it took a load off. Thanks for all of your words of advice. Love to you all!

Anxiety? What Anxiety?

Hello all! Today was an interesting day (what day isn't?) Try following me on this one.....My boss comes up to me first thing and says, "how was your weekend?" As usual I reply with a hearty "great!" and continue about my business. Later, he pulls me aside and says, "we were kind of worried about you last week. Did you get enough rest?" Once again, I say I was fine and even slept in until 10:00 on Sunday. He then continues saying, "well, what can we do to make sure you don't get burnt out again? I think you should take tomorrow off." ? ? ? I kind of look at him confused and say, "I'm fine, I've been fine, and really I don't need a day off." So about 15 minutes later the office manager (his wife) approaches me and says the same thing. So I finally say, "I'll take a day off, but only at your request...it's not my choice." So I go through the day thinking I'm having tomorrow off. And of course I begin to think to myself "this isn't going to be half bad. I'm going to get paid for a day off of work. sweet" Then the end of the day comes and drama begins. We look at the schedule for tomorrow and it's packed, including 3 procedures that require anesthesia. With me not coming in that leaves only 1 tech and 1 receptionist to carry the burden. I pull the office manager aside and say, "hey, do you REALLY want me to take the day off, it looks kind of hectic. I'm more than willing to come in, but I definitely don't want to be called in when the day's half over" She says, "no, we'll be fine. Just pass it by Doc to make sure." So I ask Doc the same question and he says, "crap, you better come in." Then the office manager says to him, "no, we'll be fine." So I said, "well, how about taking Friday off...." You see, him and the office manager will be gone, meaning less appointments, plus it'll allow me to have a 3 day weekend. And Doc says, "oh, this morning you don't want to take time off, but now you do." How dare him! So I explain, "when you have something given to you, then taken away, it kind of sucks." But he said, "no, that's not a good idea because they wouldn't have any back up if necessary." And the office manager said (in front of everyone) "You've been stiffed by the others, what difference would it make" Which is true. As stated in the last post, I'm always the one being called in. Being the low man on the totem pole and not having kids kind of puts me there......I'm the only tech that works full time now since the others have children. So we left it at me not coming in and then the girls tomorrow being slammed. Not something good to do. So the tech that was working today (not the same one tomorrow) was saying, "ooooh, she's going to be pissed tomorrow" and "when we worked full time we never got days off." So here we go.....I'm sitting there with tons of anxiety about ready to cry. I don't even want to take a day off and then it's going to come back on me, making me look bad. What's up with that? I didn't want to call the tech for tomorrow, I just couldn't. So the tech from today called the tech for tomorrow and then I finally received a phone call from the tech for tomorrow. She was fine with me, but was still pissed. Not to mention one of her kids is sick and she may even receive a phone call to leave work tomorrow to go pick him up. Which would leave the clinic with no one, and they're going to end up calling me. And she tells me not to pick up my phone, and just leave them hanging out there. So what am I to do? This is just straight up ridiculous. I'm darned if I do and darned if I don't. If I don't go in I'll leave the tech hanging and then possibly get called in or choose to leave the clinic hanging. And if I go in then the tech may get "mad" at me because she was hoping to make a point of the whole situation (calling the office manager out) and I may be screwed (once again) if she has to leave to pick up her kid. I just hate tension. I've already been in the situation where my coworkers don't care for me, and I never want to go back. I don't think my coworkers would make me an outcast, but you know how people talk and nit pick. What would you do? So after much thought and prayer, I feel there is only one answer. Go in to work as usual. It's just not me to leave anyone hanging. In my heart I can't do it. Call me a sissy or whatever you want, but that's how I stand. My coworker may not be able to call the office manager out, but the way I look at it, there will be less tension that way. And you never know, maybe they'll offer me a different day off (especially if I get screwed again). It doesn't matter anyway, since it wasn't my idea to begin with. Nothing lost. Nothing gained. I'll keep you posted. So did ya'll follow all of that????

Monday's Thought For The Day

Whirlwind Of A Week

As usual, it's my last bit of quiet time before the hectic week starts. Last week was a whirlwind to say the least. As posted I got tons of stuff done on Wednesday and as soon as Thursday hit, it didn't slow down. Work has been as busy as busy as ever, and I must say the clients are getting meaner and meaner. I'm figuring it's the state of the economy around here in addition to people's job security. And at this point I hate to say it but I can just see it getting worse throughout the holiday season and winter months. You know, when February/March hits, everyone seems to be in the gloomy stage. I can remember when I worked up in Michigan and the winter gloom hit. I swear I got yelled at by clients on a daily basis. I just continue to grin and bear it and just remind myself they aren't trying to target me. It's hard for them to understand that I too am going through ecomonical/emotional struggles too. But anyway, it's been very busy. I even got called in to work on Friday morning. 3 out of 5 times I'm called in early so I just wish I could go in early all the time but they don't want me to get "burned out" and since I already average about 48 hours per week they'd prefer not to pay me anymore overtime. I like being busy because that's what I thrive on, constantly moving, thinking "what can I be doing now to make things go smoother and to make the most of my time." When it ends, I sit down and crash for a few moments, and then the adrenaline kicks in again and my mind just won't stop. It's horrible because one part of my mind says, "no, I can't go on." and the other says, "go, go, go!" So last night I took a Tylenol PM and boy did it work.....I slept until 10 this morning. That's got to be a record for me....at least for the past couple years. And I must say it was a pretty lazy weekend, I think because of the craziness of the week. I got off later than expected on Saturday (of course, I ended up working over) and so we decided to have a late lunch and headed up to Elyria for Texas Roadhouse. It's one of our favorite restaurants. It's the typical steak place with peanut shells on the floor, etc. but their rolls and cinnamon/sugar butter are to die for. We used to go there all the time when we lived in NOLA but we don't have one here (probably a good thing). And if you know us, we will travel for food that we love. So that's what we did. Our trip was unexpected, but that's what makes life fun. It sounded good, so off we went. Then we made a stop at Target to try and find me the long sleeved tees that they carry (ours didn't have my size). I got what I wanted and since we were already up near there, we stopped at the Avon Commons to check out Old Navy. I must say that Old Navy's let me down over the past 2 years. And it totally bums me out. I used to LOVE their clothing before it became popular and now I just don't like the styles they come out with. I don't think they're quality is that great and as with everything, the price just continues to rise. I used to be able to grab a cart and fill it and at this pint I may be lucky to find one thing I like during one season. And with my luck it won't fit. I can't tell you how many jeans I've bought from there that never fit right. And I can't say that it's because I'm older, because I don't even think they're trying to target the tweens or teens, but possibly the late 20's to early 30's group. I dunno, they keep continuing on with this bohemian type of look or something....Okay, now I know I'm not making sense at all. But you get the idea. I'm not ready to Boycott yet, I'm still giving them a chance, but at this point it's not looking too bright. Hey, at least they got on the dog clothes bandwagon and David still likes to get his jeans there. Some pluses for them. Enough about that. We decided to head home after our short trip but instead of going the highway we took the "coastal trail" on the lake. It's always a nice ride and it's fun to remember all the fun times David and I had when we were dating and would drive that same route just to have something to do. Just adding more great memories. We crashed when we got home. I fell asleep on the couch while David watched the Ohio State game. And then finally had a late dinner, cameo pizza. It had been forever since we have had it (I'm talking probably 6+ years), and it was great. While David went to pick it up I chose a movie to watch...Phantom of the Opera. Surprisingly I stayed awake and that was our Saturday. As I stated, I slept in until late on Sunday, then decided to finally get off our butts and headed out to Harvest Happenings with David's mom. It was perfect weather for it. We didn't stay out their that long, but long enough to enjoy fall, see Mona and her animal's, and to check out the photographs. As expected I didn't get to take home any ribbons, but I definitely think I'd like to submit more pictures in the future. It made me feel good in my heart to show off something I'm proud of. And as with anything, I don't need a ribbon in order to prove something. Me just going through the steps of taking the pictures, having them developed, and submitting them proves to myself that I can do it and have fun at the same time. It's still great to be evolving as a person. I can only hope that my mind stays as open in the future as it is now, so that I can continue to strive to do thing's I never thought of doing and possibly excelling at them. Cassidy's birthday is today, so we stopped by her party at skate world. As with all children's birthday parties, it was crazy. And we ended our evening with a quiet family dinner incuding homemade apple crisp, thanks to Sita...And here I am. David's in bed and I have the animal's quietly sleeping around me... It's getting late and time for bed. Sleep tight everyone!

Gotta Love My Days Off

Yesterday was my day off. And as usual, I got tons of stuff done. And most of it all by noon. Sweet. So on Tuesday I heard on the radio that Harvest Happenings is going on this weekend and that they have a photo contest. They gave all of the rules and said you can drop off the pictures at a certain time on Tuesday or Wednesday. So I sat all day debating whether to do it or not. Since I had Wednesday off I could get some pictures printed and get them out there. So After work we headed to pat catans to get some mats and then I uploaded some a few pictures to the Walmart photo site to pick up on Wednesday morning. I don't expect to win anything, but at only $1 for entrance fee per picture, I figured it's worth a try. I guess if you win you have to go out and get your picture taken and there is a cash prize. There are about 8 different genres you can enter. Whatever, we'll see. It gave me something to do and hopefully people will enjoy seeing them. Since I had to print out pictures for that I figured I'd print out the rest of my pictures, and boy was I glad that I did. You see, I take tons of pictures and save them all to CD in respective folders, however I pick and choose pics to print and keep a file on the computer. And then every so many months I put them on a CD and take them in to be printed. Well, 315 pictures later, I had them printed. Kind of costly. I guess I waited a bit too long. But I guess considering that about 100 of them were downtown sandusky pictures, it's not too bad. Well, now they're printed and already organized in albums. I also mopped the kitchen, cleaned the entire downstair's hardwood floors, and even vacuumed and shampooed our bedroom carpet. Ahhh, much better. I made sure to stop by the BMV to transfer my tags to the new car. It seemed to take forever to get the title. I was worried there was going to be a late fee, but there wasn't. Oh, and guess what? I paid off our Disney trip! That's a good feeling. Now we have almost no money, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. We had the 'rents over for dinner. I made this chili cheese dog casserole. It was ok, but not the best. I guess you could say it was a learning experience. And if I were to ever make it again then the directions will be slightly different. Next week I plan to make pulled pork. Hopefully that will go better. Can't go too wrong with a crock pot. Last night we went out to the mall...surprise, surprise. I decided to get Cassidy's birthday present...her birthday is Sunday. I figured you can't go wrong at Claires. I used to love that store, actually I should say, I love that store. Me going in there is a dangerous thing. They have so many fun, cute things. Yes, things you don't really need, but it's still fun. So anyway, I got her this little bag and then tons of stuff to load it up. Makeup, pens....all that type of good stuff. I'm sure she'll like it. If she doesn't I'll just have to keep it for myself. Just kidding! Have a Happy Thursday!

Ride On!

So you're probably wondering if we had fun at CP. I don't think I've ever had so much fun feeling as though I wanted to vomit. And I've never heard my husband scream like a girl before. But it was SO freakin' fun. I didn't even have time to take pictures. We started out with the Iron Dragon thinking, "this is a good starter" and it was. Then David said, "man, I wish we could go on millenium force." (We've never been on it and we haven't been on any big rides in at least a few years. Not to mention David doesn't do to well with motion sickness, etc). So I said, "well, it's now or never because next year we're going to be one year older and it will be even harder for us to try to get ourselves on it." So we did it (of course after David took some Dramamine). Oh my gosh. As we entered the platform I could feel my heart coming out of my chest. And then as we headed up the hill....ooh my head was spinning in circles. I don't think I've ever called out to Jesus more in my life. And then we went......Wooooooo! It was awesome. Man, I was pumping my fists in the air and all. Sweet. I so wanted to ride again. We continued on and did a few other of the usual rides and that evening stopped by the Skyhawk. I think this ride is every kid's dream when they're young...you know how you try to swing higher and higher. It was a great ride. I just wish it was a bit longer. And I have to say my anxiety wasn't too bad before I got on. We headed back to the front going through the Fright Zone on Frontier Trail. I've never seen the trail as busy as it was. It was almost wall to wall people. They did a very good job of scaring people and the atmosphere. With all the fog and the type of lighting it's pretty freaky. Let's just say I hid my head in David's arm almost the entire walk. But it was a fun...you're thinking you have it figured out where the people are, and then all of the sudden they're in front of you! Ahhh! Then we ended with the Dragster. Just like Millenium, it's kind of like do it now, or never. You only live once, right? Once again, the anxiety took over and I couldn't believe I was getting on this thing. The take off is definitely the big to do with the ride. It's amazing how fast it goes. The view from the top is great too, even though you're only there for a second or two. The fall wasn't such a big deal as I thought it was going to be. I don't even remember having a weightless feeling. But that could be because it went so fast! It's amazing how "out of shape" you become with thrills. It's like I had to program myself all over again, since it had been so long. I used to ride the rides day in and day out with no problem. But after getting on them, I know I could keep going now. I wish we had the money for passes, ah well. So all in all it was a great day. We even got to play our skee ball that we love. And I've decided if I'm ever rich I'm gonna have skee ball in my house. I even got David on my favorite ride as a kid....Troika. He'll never go on it again, but at least I got him on it once. The waits for the rides weren't horrible, however, you waited for everything....even rides you usually don't wait for, including Gemini. And the we got our beloved food. That took forever too since everyone working was a volunteer. But well worth the wait. I just looked at it as though it was a warm up for going to Disney. I am more excited than ever. I don't see how I can get more excited, but I'm sure I'll convince myself otherwise. Today mom and I did go to the Harvest For Antiques in Birmingham. We had a great time, even though mom was feeling under the weather. I got some yard work done too. And our family dinner went well as usual. Hope everyone has a great start to their week. Hope you feel better mom!

Go Buckeyes!

Halloweekends

Well, our heat is finally on. For the past few weeks I've been trying to keep the windows open and use as less energy as we can. No A/C, no heat. And I would have to say we were pretty successful. But when it gets uncomfortable to get out of bed in the morning and when Lily was just laying there shaking in her sweater, I knew it was time. This weekend should be decent, so more than likely it won't kick on until the evening hours, but next week it's supposed to be in the 50's, so I'm sure it will be on. Ah, it was nice to get out of bed and walk downstairs in a warm house, with the sun shining in the windows. Refreshing. And today's finally the day. We're going to go to CP. It should be perfect....at least that's what I'm hoping for. Jeans, a sweatshirt, and maybe even a hat. No huge crowds either. Yes, that's the way I like it. I'm kind of nervous about the evening hours though. I don't want to get freaked out too much by roaming zombies. Believe it or not I've never been in a haunted house. I think I'd be able to handle it, but I'm kind of jumpy when it comes to things jumping out at me. You just never know where my hands will go...probably in someone's face or something...not good. Hey, when I was a kid I couldn't even play hide and seek. I hated it. Too much anxiety, I'd just pee my pants. Not a good thing. To this day I won't play it for that reason. Yes, we all know that I'm crazy. We may be going to Birmingham tomorrow to this arts, crafts, harvesty type of thing. Mom heard about it and brought it up. Sounds like fun to me. David won't be going though due to football and Sunday being his "lazy day" of the week. The Twins lost last night so that allows the Vikes to play tomorrow instead of monday, which he's happy about. Then of course we're having our weekly family meal. Chili dogs and Brats on the grill. Yum. Ya'll have a great weekend!

Why Must I Have Another Pet Peeve?

Okay, so I have this pet peeve. Yes, we all know I have many of these (something I'm trying to work on), but this one just hit me yesterday. I called Grandma and Grandpa Q last night. I wanted to ask them a question about something I was sending them and basically just to see how they're doing. So we're sitting there talking. Not much about anything important, just seeing what's new....just talking how anyone would talk on the phone. We hadn't been talking but a few minutes and all the sudden I hear Grandpa in the background say something to Grandma about "stop talking too much" Or something on those lines. So she says, "well, I know this is costing you money, so I better let you go." And I said, "actually it's not, don't worry about it." and she comes back abruptly saying, "okay, love you guys, bye." What's up with that? Now I know you're going to be reading this Grandma, so please don't take offense to this, but I got to get it out there. This isn't the first time this has happened. I can totally understand if they have to go eat dinner or a show is coming on. In a circumstance such as that, just say "hey, I can't talk long" or "now's not a good time". But in the situations we've been in I have a feeling this isn't what's happening. Just considering my timing, etc. I'm putting two and two together and have figured that Grandpa's telling her to get off the phone. Now I know I don't call as often as I should, but this is one of the reasons why I don't. You know, sometimes I just want to shoot the shit and not have a reason to call. And even when we're not talking about something "important" those are the moments I cherish. Just hearing a caring voice that I don't get to hear that often. And I like to know what's going on in the lives of individuals that I care about and that are close to me. Once again, I don't expect anyone to stop everything they're doing when I call. And the world shouldn't revolve around me, but this is just crazy. So Grandma, when I call, just talk to me. Forget about Grandpa trying to get you off the phone. I think I can take a few minutes out of his time with you to speak to you. Or even to speak to him for that matter. According to what you said last night, you both don't get out as much as you used to, which in my mind means that you would have the time to talk. And maybe I can even lighten your day a bit. Don't worry about costing me money. I have TONS of minutes on my phone that it doesn't even enter my mind. Even if I didn't have the minutes I'd spend that extra 40 cents a minute to talk to you guys. And it doesn't cost you a cent to talk to me. You're already paying for your home phone...use it. And you're not wasting my time or gabbing my head off. The point of me calling is to hear you talk. And as stated above, if you can't talk or just don't feel like talking, let me know, or even easier, you don't have to answer the phone. This isn't something I'm taking personal. And I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. I just felt that I should put it out there because in my heart I feel it needs to be said, and it bugs the crap out of me. Enough said, thanks for listening ya'll!

Sleep Sheep

I know, I know, I haven't posted much. I haven't been much in the mood. And since we've been trying to eat at home more I've found myself trying to make things the night before so I don't have to do it when I get home or have to make David make them. Then last night it was time for me to go out and work in our "garden". Let me tell you about the garden. I think I've already written about this but I must say I'm too lazy to go back and look. Anyway, at least you'll have an update. There's this corner in our backyard that I'm working on. It was very pretty but was way overgrown with grape hyacinths in the spring. There were tons of tulips too. However, it's such a large area to take away from the yard for just a few weeks out of the year. So about 2 months ago mom and I pulled out all of the stone edging and angled it off (used to be a square). Then I just kept digging and digging....all of these clusters of bulbs (figuring mostly grape hyacinths) were coming out. Then I would come out a week later and there were more bulbs that came to the surface. So ever since then I've been spending 1-2 hours per week out there digging up bulbs. Then about a month ago something started to sprout up. So I was digging out something that I wasn't sure was. But it has started to slow down, so I haven't dug out there for about two weeks. So it was time last night. Not too bad. I think it only took 30-45 minutes. Sweet. We still need to add fill dirt but I don't want to do that until at least the end of next spring. Because I'm sure you'll find me out there right at the beginning of spring digging out any sprouts that are coming up. I think in about a year or so we'll be able to plant grass. Patience....something I'm not good at. It's wednesday. Half way there. And the weekend is supposed to be super nice. Ah, maybe we'll finally be going to CP. Only a high near 63 Saturday. Perfect. Maybe I'll even be able to catch a few shots. David and I figured we'll probably have some time, since we're planning on making a day of it. Not to mention, everyone I've spoken to has said that the crowds are so small.....most of the rides you can walk right on. That's the way I like it. No crowds, in jeans and a sweatshirt. Maybe even a hat. Good to go. This week I've been kind of tired. However, I've been getting to sleep way earlier than normal (9:00) and even waking up before my alarm goes off. Say what?! Yeah, dunno what's up with that. Just like the good 'ol days in high school. I've been dreaming a lot too, and even remembering my dreams. I'm figuring it's because of the cooler weather. But that's just an hypothesis. But considering the past 2 days were on the warmer side....I think that debunks my hypothesis. Anyway, whatever. Guess what? It's someone's birthday today. Can you guess who?! If you guessed Justin....DING DING DING, YOU'RE RIGHT! So don't forget to holla at him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY J!!!!!!

Monday's Thought For The Day

New Project

Hello Everyone. As the weekend comes to a close it's now time for me to sit down and chill for a moment. Friday night was quite uneventful as we just bummed around, got some grocery shopping done, and got to bed at a decent time since we both had to work on Saturday. Work went fine. After hours I went with one of the doctor's to perform a home euthanasia for one of our good clients. As the baby grand piano played itself in the background, the wonderful boy slowly drifted to sleep. I'm sure Toto was there to greet him because about 1 minute into the procedure the piano began to play a slightly upbeat tune. I could just see them dancing up there. Call me crazy, but I know I'll see them both again....someday. We then came back to the clinic to find an "emergency". Yes, we had already closed for the day but one of our clients called Doc and we just happened to arrive all at once. So the day ended up being slightly longer than expected but I don't mind. I got to be there for the animals that needed me, and of course I do not mind overtime. It was a rainy almost the entire day so once again it was just a bumming sort of day. The OSU game didn't come on until late, so we weren't that productive. After dinner we decided to stop at Meijer and get a few pumpkins, and call David's 'rents to see if they'd like to come over for the game and to paint the pumpkins. It's too early to carve, so we sat around watching the game and painted our pumpkins. A good, peaceful night. We slept in today and then I got up and made some cookies for our dinner tonight. Mom and I did our usual thing at the mall during the football game. Afterwards mom brought up the idea of going out and taking pictures. So that's what we did. I've decided that I'd like to start taking pictures of churches in the area. So she hauled me around as I jumped out of the car to snap shots. I had fun, and I hope mom did too. Thanks mom! I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with taking all these pictures. Do I want to do ALL of the churches in Sandusky, or mainly just the older ones??? I dunno. We'll have to see. I'm sure this "project" will take several weeks. However, you can see one of my shots below from today. After finishing up running around, we had our new weekly dinner tradition. Spaghetti, homemade meatballs (courtesy of Sita), Cedar Villa dressing, salad, and italian bread. Yum! And as always we had a good time. Hope everyone else had good weekends!

Before Heading Off To Work.....

....Just wanted to say Go Buckeyes!!!!!

And by the way. It's 7:13 am...and Michigan still sucks....

Days Off Can Be Fun

Yesterday was my day off. And I did just that...I took the day off. I slept in until 9:30...yes, that's sleeping in. Then I got up and decided to take a walkabout downtown. It was a gorgeous day and I'm glad I got to get out. I had never taken pictures like that before. You know, it was always like, "okay you go over there and I'll take your picture." Or it had to have some sort of meaning. But I just started snapping away. There were times I thought to myself, "Nah, I'm not gonna take a picture of that, that'd be stupid." But those were some of the best pictures I took. That's one of the best things about digital cameras...point and shoot...if you don't like it, delete it. No film lost. Maybe a little battery life gone, but they're rechargable. I used to love taking pictures back in the day but so many came out crappy (of course I didn't really have a decent camera though). So I really like my pictures and I must say I want to do it again. I didn't know what to expect. I know they're not perfect but it's something I enjoyed doing and with most of my endeavours, something that I can work on to improve. You know I'm crazy like that, I don't just want to be great at one thing, I like to work on being good with everything. You never know, those might become things I'm great at someday. And yesterday I did no school work. Yeah, I know, I'm bad, but I figured I've spent the past 2 weeks doing straight up school work day in a day out, even at work on our down times. And I said, screw it. I'm ahead at this point and I'm taking the day off. I made a pot roast in the crock pot (easy!) and the 'rents came over for dinner. I even made one of those Jello No Bakes....very good! We've decided that we're going to try making Sunday family meal night, just like last week. Kind of like a pot luck deal, where we all contribute something. We've kind of already have been doing that, but we've been going out to eat. So instead we'll have it here and it'll be much cheaper. A new tradition for the Henry/Roth family. They have to be started in some way or the other. Hey, maybe I'll actually be able to learn how to cook by doing this! Yes, we're in out 4th year of marriage, and I can honestly say I'm not big on cooking. It's not hard to do because you just follow a recipe, but it's not something I like doing. In time. In time. Ahhhh, I'm dreading work today. Tbe boss is back in town. I'm going in with my head held high, but I dunno...it may be rough. Wish me luck!

Flickr

Hey! I just upgraded to Flickr Pro and am working on uploading some pictures, including some from my Walkabout in Sandusky this morning. Be on the lookout!

Vote For Mona!

Mona Rutger is an amazing individual. I've been to her facility and have met her personallly. By voting for her on the Animal Planet website she will be recognized for her efforts and receive a well deserved vacation.

Courtesy Of Animal Planet.com-
Mona Rutger, together with her husband Bill, has owned and operated a volunteer wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center, Back to the Wild, for 15 years in Castalia, Ohio. The center rescues over 2,000 injured or abandoned wild animals each year, and is able to return over 60 percent of them back into the wild. A nonprofit with no funding, the center relies on contributions by individuals and organizations to cover the cost of caring for the constant influx of "wildings." Mona consistently puts in long hours, especially while tending to the many baby birds and animals that require constant care. She says, "It's very demanding, but it's my passion." Her other passion is teaching future generations the great need to preserve and protect our natural world. She presents educational programs to over 50,000 students and members of youth groups and adult organizations each year, traveling all around the state as well as conducting programs and tours at the center several times a week. Fifteen Eagle Scout projects have been completed at the center by local youth. Three of Mona's young assistants have been inspired to attend veterinary school because of their work at Back to the Wild. Two are practicing veterinarians and the third will graduate soon. At least one other young volunteer has stated that she also plans to become a veterinarian. Mona takes part in volunteer studies with veterinarians on such diseases as West Nile virus and avian flu, and they are using the data gathered in national and international research.

Click on the link to vote for Mona Rutger and Back To The Wild

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/poll/poll.html

Crazy 'Puters!!!!

I went to work yesterday and the computer was working fine. While at work out internet starting acting kind of weird. Mostly Yahoo wouldn't load. Then I noticed Flickr wouldn't work either. I came home to find the same problem, in addition to the screen freezing up once I type in a new address. However, I could type in the Google search box in my task bar and search something and go to it through there. I called the 'rents and come to find out their stuff is working. Hmmmm....so I think to myself....crap! Did my page carry a virus? Since it was happening both there and here. You know me, thinking crazy things. So I was up last night trying to figure it out. I downloaded Internet Explorer 7 (by the way it's kind of weird and will take a few days to get used to) and ran all of my virus stuff (which runs on a daily basis anyway) and the address bar thing was fixed. Then Yahoo would finally load but if I clicked on anything on it it wouldn't move anywhere (for instance My Mail, etc). I kept searching online for answers, but of course any answers for Yahoo or Flickr were on their site....yeah, that won't work. And then there were people saying "go into this and do this" I'm one of those people that will just dig into the computer and do stuff but I have my limit. And I didn't want to screw myself over by totally jacking up my computer. So at about 11pm I game up and "went to bed". Before leaving the 'puter I turned it off and reset the modem in hopes that might help and just left it off all night. I tossed and turned all last night. Hardly sleeping a wink. You see, when I feel I have to do something either I can't sleep at all or I just dream about it. So I dreamt about it. And then I think to myself, it probbly won't work anyway tomorrow...so my mind is just reeling. I arose when my alarm went off. Came downstairs. Started the darn thing, left to make breakfast, came back, loaded Yahoo and it worked...say what? It worked, AND My Mail and Flickr did too. Thank you Jesus! Please continue to work, please, please. So it's worked so far this morning and according to Aunt Daleen's post she was having problems too....maybe it was the cable company. I dunno. But it works now. Isn't it crazy how something that should be so relaxing can cause you the most anxiety???

Help!

My Yahoo and Flickr won't work! Every other site does though....any ideas? I can't get onto the yahoo site at all....no mail, no news, it just won't load...and neither does Flickr. When I look at my blog my frame of the badge comes up but won't fully load....Help!!!!

Welcome Home!

Who Dat? Who Dat?

Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints????
Welcome Home Saints!

New Camera

Hello! As the weekend comes to a close and the new week starts I wanted to sit and write for a bit. We didn't end up going to CP this weekend. The weather was iffy and it just wasn't worth taking the chance of wasting the tickets. We still have several more weeks left in the season to be able to go. So of course we watched the Ohio State vs Penn State game. That was a little uneasy, but what I can I say, we're a second half team. Also, I must note, great job to Notre Dame, can't believe they pulled that one out. Whew! Since Ohio State won we had to celebrate. And as most of you know there's not much to do here in Santown to celebrate, so hey, we headed to Friendlys. Any excuse for me to get ice cream...works for me! Ya'll know we did more in the day than just that, but nothing really that exciting unless you want to hear about us running errands getting, getting dog litter, etc. Then Sunday comes and I become a football widow for one more day of the week. I used to be able to handle football two days in a row, but I'm sorry, I just can't do it anymore. And David's ALWAYS been a hardcore Vikings fan, so there's no tearing him away from that. He loves OSU, but if it came down to only being able to watch one, he'd choose the Vikings. I can't complain too much though because that's David's time with his dad and of course I keep busy with something, usually with mom, getting coffee, TJMaxx...you know, the usual. So that's what we did today and then we all had dinner tonight at our place. It was only the second time I've got to "entertain" since we've been married. Thie first was down in N.O. for Thanksgiving. Two other Marines came over. And ever since then we were never at home (on leave), our place was too small, or Cass and J had something. So it was nice. I finally got to do it. Our dining room table is still kind of tight with 6 people, but I just call that cozy. We had roasted chicken, potatos, gravy, and stuffing (gotta love the stuffing). And thanks to mom for all of your help. It was a good time, not to mention, much cheaper than going out and just as good. We have to do it more often. One last thing. We bought a new camera today. It's the Kodak Z650. After doing much research we felt this one would suit our needs best. I'm very excited and so far (in the 2 hours I've had it), it's what I had hoped for. Can't wait to take more pictures. Just wait until our Disney trip! It's going to be pictures galore (hopefully)!