Snow??

We're moving Saturday (as seen in previous post) and what have I heard all week but "It's going to Snow This weekend! You might not get to move!"

And just so we're clear: We're moving - rain, sleet, snow, or shine. end-of-story. period. the. end.

According to WRAL's weather team: "'It doesn’t look all that great for a big snow event in the Triangle,' Fishel said."


And then I started thinking about past years here in the oh-so-winterous city of Raleigh that's so nestled within the south that milk and bread are flying off the shelf in a big fat hurry (even though if there were a big snow, your power would be out and your milk would go bad). And there's not much snow in those memories. Last year we finally got enough snow that it impaired travel abilities and it was 6 inches. INCHES people....inches, not feet, we're not getting much this weekend, and you're getting all hyped up about nothing.

How many times have we heard the weather people say "We MIGHT see a chance of flurries" and everyone starts making travel changes? And how many times has anyone actually seen any sign of snow on those days? Not many.


I also love how in WRAL's weather articles, they already have to state to people that major travel arrangements are not planning to be compromised. Like this:

"The airport will not close and airlines will make decisions individually about flight cancellations.

Travelers are urged to contact their airline before heading to RDU."


As in, get over it, we're not getting much here, if any at all.


Seriously, Raleigh is not located in the best place for snow fall. And those people who freak out when the chance of a flurry is mentioned need to pack it on down to Florida where snow is never a question and where their low today is 54.


Personally I love the snow. I act like a kid and want to be out in it making angels and forts and throwing snow balls. But come on people....seriously - canceling flights for the chance of a FLURRY!?!?




*Sorry for the random vent session...I mean, really. *

Calling all Friends

So in the last month, Our life has been turned upside down, but in a good way.

After finding out that the cat has caused us to be evicted, we started the search for a new place to live. Primarily, that search was for rental apartments and then rental houses.

Then what happened next was a whirlwind.

As I was searching for a rental house through an online search, the settings defaulted back to searching for a house to buy. Okay so just switch it back and get on with the search. But curiosity was definitely getting the best of me, so I start dreaming and looking through the houses. I put in what I think is a reasonable price for a run down, beat up little house, and up pops this little guy:



A little 780 sq ft house in southeast Raleigh, that needs tons of TLC, but has lots and lots of charm.

So, we bought the house, we're starting renovations, and we're moving out of our apartment. However, our house needs a bit (as in a lot) of work before we can move into the house and our apartment lease ends this coming Saturday. So for the next couple of months, we will be moving our stuff into a POD for temporary storage.

Now, we need your help!!

We are moving this Saturday Dec 19th from 8am to noon. The PODs people will come pick up the POD at noon, so we have to move all of our stuff in the POD by then (you can thank Raleigh DOT for the short time frame).


Here's what you'll get out of it:
1. Helping friends when they need it most
2. Getting your work out in for the week to combat that Christmas dinner coming up soon.
3. Spread some Christmas Cheer
4. It's only 4 hrs - you'll still be out in plenty of time for Christmas shopping and cookie baking
5. You get to spend quality time with old and new friends discussing what you think might be in the Enzor's boxes! (Those boxes labeled miscellaneous always perk the curiosity)
6. FREE LUNCH!


Feel free to bring some friends who might be interested. Let me know if you plan to come so I can plan food accordingly.


Thanks for being involved in our lives and for taking part of this journey we have set out on with our new home.

Hand Painting

I stumbled across this blog today : Cool Pics


And there are some really awesome artists there!

A few of my favs are the turtle, the soccer guys, and Guido's eagle.




And I thought painting my nails was tough!

Breathe

This weekend was probably one of the most calm weekends we've had in a while. Friday night we ran all of our Halloween errands, so that freed up time on Saturday for random home things.

I slept in, cleaned, and did a little laundry on Saturday before we went out to a Halloween Party (more on that to come with photos!) Seriously best Halloween party we've been to in quite a while! :)

Sunday, I got the chance to go to late service so I slept in yet again! Then I got to cuddle little Teagan and do what I do best, get him to sleep. We got to spend some time with the Smiths at lunch, which was a great treat! I get spoiled when I see them in Football season, and with the last few games being away, I went into withdraws.

I went home and watched some movies, and crazy enough...I didn't even take a nap! This is huge! I always take Sunday naps, and I think I caught up enough with two days of sleeping in (coupled with an extra hr from the time change) that I didn't need one. Awesome!



Finally this weekend, I got to breathe.

A big deep breath.

And one that I'm sure will help us in the next few weeks when we're going to be sprinting through life.

Seriously?

Wow. This week is shaping up to be a train wreck.

For Monday, see my previous blog post about our apartment.

Last night, I came home to John telling me he broke a tooth. We don't have dental insurance. This morning he was going to go to our dentist...but called to find out that they're on vacation until Monday! He called their emergency number, and hopefully she will be calling us back shortly. We love our dentist, and the fact that he might have to find someone else to handle this emergency is terrifying to John.

I wake up this morning with a terrible headache and this gut feeling something is just not right with today.

I feel like screaming. I heard bad things come in 3's. So Seriously? What's about to happen?


I start thinking through what else could go wrong that's just simmering waiting to hit a rolling boil. My oil is due for a change and has been for about a week, that wretched cat is loosing hair again, and John's truck needs inspecting. Which one is going to go first? Any bets? Why don't they all just take a number and hit us back-to-back.


OH! and we're supposed to have date night on Friday. Our last date night...you remember what happened? I guess we're not supposed to have dates.


Some days I wish I could go back to bed and skip out on life for oh, say the next 6 months.

Update on East Street Living

Yesterday was a day for the books.

John came home to find a note on door that said they found out about our cat. Our place has a no pet policy but we've managed to hide her for the last 12 months. In fact, our lease is ending at the end of October, so we were about to re-sign for another year.

However, despite our on time payments, and our adherence to their many and frequent apartment inspections they do at this apartment place, they have decided to adhere strictly to their no pet policy. Thus, we have to put in our 60 day notice (during which our cat will still be staying in our place...go figure)

Anyway, East Street living is coming to a sad and abrupt halt. We are now looking for a new place to live, hopefully still in downtown since that is where John does most of his work.

We spent most of yesterday afternoon driving around to check out the neighborhoods of a few finds. As crazy as it sounds, washer and dryer hook ups seem to be the problem....downtown has a lot of older houses, which unless they have been remodeled, do not have the hookups.


So, in efforts of being cheesy: If you find the hookups, give us the hookup. :)



(P.S. - Yes we knew this policy going in, but when faced with lying about a cat, or not having a place to live, option 1 looks like a clear and great winner)

Condiments

Today, as I'm eating my sushi lunch, I had a random thought.

If I were a condiment, I would be wasabi!



Think about it...
My favorite color is green.
A little bit goes a long way.
I spice up everything.
I love sushi.
And I'm feisty.

Yeah, I know I have a weird relationship with food.

What would you be, and why?

CVS

Totally loving my lunch break today! I went on a shopping spree at CVS and spent a whopping $5. I got 4 bags of tide stain release tabs, 1 bounce dryer bar, 1 bottle of tide detergent, 2 Pantene Hair Sprays, body lotion, 1 gillette razor

Here's how:
I did three transactions.
#1: $9.99 - Gillette Fusion Razor (yeah I'm hoping John will use it) ;)
-$4.00 off coupon
-$4 ECB's
Total: 2.76 after taxes
Got: $5 ECB

#2: (2) $4 Pantene Styling products
$7.99 Vaseline Sheer Infusion Body lotion
-$3 off $15 purchase coupon
-$1.50 off vaseline body lotion
-$1 off pantene coupon
-$1 off pantene coupon
-$5 ECB from purchase #1
Total: $5.50
Got: $9 ECB

#3: (4) $4 Tide stain release tabs
Bounce Dryer Bar
(1) Tide Laundry detergent
-$5 off $25 purchase coupon
-(6) $1 off Proctor and Gamble coupons
-$9 ECB from transaction #2
Total: 7.63
Got: $10 ECB, and a $4 coupon


So, I spent $15.89 ($3.41 of which is tax) out of pocket and I have a $10 credit in ECB's for CVS, along with a $4 coupon on more body lotion.


My savings today were $49.92.

Looks like $49 is going into savings today! :)



I'm going back later this week to stock up on a sale they're having on scotch tape. I'm about to buy $15 of tape for FREE, no out of pocket expense, and still have $5 ECB.



Also, on side note...
According to my CVS coupon, as of 9/25, this is what CVS is looking like for me:
Year to date savings: $59.34
Fall 2009 spending: $8.43


I love it. :)

Savings

As of the past few weeks, I have been on this saving money kick. We've always tried to save money but, not like this.

I found this great little site (thanks Mandy) that has really helped. I had been using coupons before, and had tried to do what this site says, but there were really no places that broke down the sales and prices that this place does. I could find the coupon, or find the in-store sale, but could never match them up. I would always forget the coupon, or forget the complete deal on the sale when I was at the store....add that on top of walking out of the store and never getting what you came in for (of which I am notorious), and you're talking bout saving only a few dollars.

Today, I went to Target, and spent $6.61, and saved $12.11, of which included getting a bag of cat food for $0.99. And I buy sort of expensive cat food (you can see my posts about my cat which explains why). It also included boxes of cereal, and a couple boxes of pop-tarts.

Last week I went to CVS and spent $5 and saved $20.

Before, my goal when I went grocery shopping was to save more than I spent, and it might happen 1/10 times I went shopping. But that happens every time I shop now, so I've had to re-set my goals.


Now what to do with all that money I'm saving....


I'm thinking that I will transfer that "saved" money to our savings account and just watch it grow. My thoughts: I saved $120 last week, and $12 so far this week...

And it's only Monday.



Seriously I feel a little scandalous when I walk out with a whole bag of free stuff!




P.S.- Anyone get a Sunday paper and hate those coupon inserts? Give them to me!

Seasons

Ahhh...fall.

Signified by the first football game of the season, First Tailgate, and a Thursday night game.

The sound of popping open a can, a sizzling grill, burgers and dogs, and sides galore. The overlying chatter and excitement in the air, as fans gather for tailgating. A few social games, people hanging out and catching up.

I get wrapped up in the smells, the sounds, and the excitement of all of this.

I love Wolfpack Football.

Date night....or not.

Saturday was one of the longest days of my life.

John and I planned on a date night Saturday night...which it always seems that when we purposely make time for a date, something tries to ruin our plans.

John asked me to come help him with one of his jobs in Chapel Hill, and told me it would take about 3 hrs. So Saturday morning at about 9am we start off the day. We had to make a little detour to drop off his trailer and pick up my father-in-law's trailer to haul some debris from the job site, which all this is in Buies Creek.

10:30am-We get to Chapel Hill and do our work. The work was as expected, around 3 hrs worth, and we head out of there around 1:30.

On our way back, we stop for a few drinks and gas, everything looking like we're going to make it back for a nice dinner, maybe a movie, and I might even get a little cleaning done before we head out for our date.

Boy, was I wrong.

2pm-As we're driving through Pittsboro on 64, the trailer blows a tire. And I mean, this trailer shred the tire, like a 18-wheeler truck tire...the entire tire came apart, tread and all. Seriously worst flat tire I have ever had.

So, we get out, check the tire to try to read what we're supposed to get, measure the bolt spacing, all that necessary stuff, and un-hook the trailer from the truck to go to a store.

Only problem, is Pittsboro is in the sticks. So, no one is open on a Saturday. We call one place and they say they don't even carry trailer tires but that we should call Lowe's, as they are the only place that might possibly have a tire. So we call, they say they have "some" trailer tires, so off we go.

2:30pm-We get to Lowe's and start looking. The tires on the trailer are 14" tires, the only ones Lowe's has is 13" and 15". After much deliberation and finally just a leap of I'm-tired-lets-get-of-here decision making we go with the 13" tires. We also measure the rims here, as Lowe's only sells the entire wheel, with tire and rim and all, and we have to make sure this fits. And back out to the side of the Hwy we go.

3:00pm-We are back on the side of 64, taking off the bum tire, and line up the new tire, and what do you think happens? The rims don't line up properly. We measure again, everything is measuring like this should be perfect. Ok, try again...nope sorry, not going on.

So John gets this seriously genius idea, and gets out his drill and bores out the holes to widen a few of them to help make the bolts fit. Only problem...the battery on the drill dies. Seriously.

We are both getting pretty upset at this point. The rims are now closer to fitting properly..just not quite there to put the lugs on the bolts and keep this tire on.

We start calling John's family to figure out what is the best thing to do, I start calling my dad who used to sell trailers and knows all about this type problem.

My dad tells me "oh aren't trailer companies smart" and tells me that in order to keep the prices of trailers low, the companies buy the cheapest parts sometimes. Which also means that this rim which is "standard" will not fit on our non-standard trailer. This only upsets us more, because now we know that we were doing correctly and measured everything right, nothing should be happening like this.

John starts hammering the bolts to make them fit into the holes.

4:30pm - FINALLY!!! The tire makes it on the trailer. Now, we're missing a lug. Started off with 5, have 4, and one is somehow stripped and wont tighten, so we're really down to 3 working lugs. Not good for a tire that already has had some pressure put on it with the hammering and drilling. We drive half a mile down the road, and after watching the new tire wiggle and wobble, decide to take a lug from the "good" tire (if you can say that) and put it on the new tire side. This seems to help put the tire on tighter and down the road we go.

5:15pm We finally get to my father-in-laws. By this time, date night has turned into a veg night.

John starts to change over his trailer and realizes that since cleaning up the Chapel hill site, now has more tools than fit in his truck and trailer. So what does that mean? It means Now we have to organize his trailer to fit all the stuff in.

Seriously.

So, we organize his trailer. and I remind him that I have a Rx that we need to pick up in Garner, and that CVS closes probably at 9 or 10. It is 8:00 now and date night is completely cancelled, with a promise to reschedule when we are not as stressed and tired.

8:50pm-We make it to CVS to find out that the pharmacy in CVS is closed. and closed at 6pm. Oh we can buy anything in CVS...just not what we rushed over there to get.

9:20pm-We make it home, we're both ticked and tired and completely wishing that this day was over about 8 hrs before.



I'm still exhausted from Saturday. I need a recovery day from the weekend.


There are just a few things that I am glad about on Saturday:

1-I had the genius idea of hooking the trailer up to the truck before changing the tire. Think few/several hundred pounds all balancing on one tire and a jack....could spell serious issues for 64.

2-We put that extra lug on the bad tire side to help with the wobbling. Seriously saw a premonition of the trailer breaking an axel, causing us to end up in the ditch, possibly flipping over, and some serious injuries.

3-As a result of #2-Thank God for watching over us. I just felt this urgent need to pray for us for our safety.





Thank you God, for being there to keep us safe when we were obviously tired, stressed, seriously ticked-off driving an un-safe trailer.

Changing Job Titles

Last night, John puts in one of the two loads of laundry in our *free* dryer, and our dryer stops working.

It already had the problem of not turning off on its own, but that was why we got it for free. Now it doesn't turn the clothes, so not really doing much good just throwing some heat in there on a big pile of wet clothes.

So I'm changing my title from the "Vacuum Repair Lady" to the "Dryer Repair Lady."

I'm thinking the belt is broken, and I have no idea how to fix the timer thing that was originally wrong.

We'll see...


Also, the vacuum is officially broken. The brushes don't even turn now.

Round 2 on the vacuum (Betty) may commence this weekend as well.



Hmm maybe I need to name this dryer too...I'm pretty sure the surgery on it will get pretty intense...it might need a name. Post some name suggestions if you're feeling creative.

Health

I have been really thinking about health today. Here are a few things that are running around in my mind, that maybe you care about too.

1-Is this sunburn on my face going to turn into cancer? Went to the beach this weekend, and put on tons of sunscreen. However, got in the ocean and boogied on a little board, ocean tried to drown me a few times, and washed off my sunscreen. Got to talking it up to some of the ladies and forgot to reapply. Hince my wonderful red face which is now peeling. I'm a fair skinned strawberry blonde, and get burnt pretty easily, and pretty often. I want to go to the Dermatologist to get them to look at my skin under that light thing; that looks pretty cool. Let me know if you've done this...because I want to know all about it. Also, tell me if you've been to the dermatologist and if they told you anything helpful.

2-Is taking vitamins going to help me combat this cold/flu bug John has? I forget to take my vitamins until somebody around me gets sick, and then I start popping them like candy to try to prevent.

3-Do I want to try to eat healthier? I probably don't, but would it really help? I hear all about eating healthier and taking better care of your body, but I don't do any of that, and I always get great reports from the doctor. I try to go once a year to keep an eye on my blood sugar, and there is never anything to report. No high cholesterol, no high or low blood pressure, just boring boring results. Don't get me wrong...I love getting boring results, but will eating healthy do me any good? I mean, what is the point of giving up sodas, caffeine, fried foods, and chocolate if it's not going to give me any better results.



So, I am also a little crazy in that I try to answer my own questions. So here is the dialog back to myself.

1- The sunburn probably will turn into cancer. Apply your "Silver dine burn cream" as Emily calls it, and reapply next time. Not much you can do now. Might be nice once I get health insurance to check out a dermatologist though. Could be cool to see my face all lit up with those lights!

2- Take your vitamins...but they're nasty, and I always forget.
SO!! and this is where I am excited!
I bought the gummy vitamins, FOR ADULTS!!
Yeah they make these now! and you know what? They actually taste pretty good! Not the vitachews or whatever they're called that are in that cardboard box and taste like chocolate...but these taste very similar to the fruit chews you find in the snack isle.

3-In light of #2, no I dont want to eat healthier. I think I eat somewhat healthy. Sure I eat out a couple times a week, and I still drink sodas and I drink some mixy-mixy drinks ;)
but I eat small meals often, we usually eat chicken baked or boiled in some fashion (casseroles, enchiladas with veggies, etc), I always cook veggies and love veggies and tons of fruit. I'm not an unhealthy weight and I try to pick out the healthier things on the menu when we eat out.




I think there is a healthy balance to all of it. You want to be precautious, but not so much that you end up being a worry-wart and make yourself (and everyone around you) have anxiety. You want to be mindful of where you currently stand and what could happen if you stray too far on either side of the "normal" line (if there is one), but it should not change how you think of yourself, nor should it impair your emotional state of being.


What do you think about your health? What things are you concerned about and what things do you refuse to give up?

"&#*$ !" did you say?

My husband's family has a running joke that if their mom curses while cooking, that it's going to be some good food. You'll hear the inevitable "&#*$" !!! from the kitchen and the chorus of "Oh!?! It's gonna be good!"

Somehow, I think when I signed those marriage papers and took on their last name, this curse (haha-corny I know) has affixed itself to me.

I don't mind the good food part, but it's the incident that causes the "&#*$" that bothers me.

I spilled boiling water once, smoked up the kitchen a couple of times...but I seem to always get burned.

Tonight I burned my thumb and index finger turning the oh-so-hot sheet some chicken was on. So, I'm sitting here, typing this little update, with a huge gauze bandage covering my entire thumb and hitting about every key around the space bar.



But dinner sure was good! :)

And the answer is...

C.

Yay for those votes that went to C. I cleaned out Betty and started her up to start smelling that burning smell again, and after a few minutes, the smell seemed to subside.

I would like to say however, that Betty has seemed to start to emit that burning smell again this week, so I haven't completely fixed her. Maybe there are some training classes I was supposed to take before becoming the "Vacuum Repair Lady." hmmm...

Thanks for all those votes of confidence! Seriously glad no one voted A. :)

Notes of the Unemployed

Unemployed, I am.(spoken like Yoda)

And I have to say I like it. I get to do all the things I wish I could have done while I worked. Like go to the grocery store, and go to the Library, and run all those wonderful errands that seemed like too much to do after working a long day.

For example, recently, our vacuum has started emitting this burning smell when you start vacuuming and it only gets worse while you vacuum. It's a little frustrating that I just cleaned the apartment, and start the last step (vacuuming) and now it smells horrible again. If you've ever had this problem, you know how bad it smells.

So what did my unemployed self do? Did I decide to throw it out? Did I take it to a repair shop? Did I just give up on vacuuming?

Nooo to all three of those! :) I decided that I am technically savvy enough to fix it on my own! haha! Yes, me the "Vacuum Repair Lady". I love it.

With all of the following happening, I feel I need to name our vacuum...lets call her "Betty." I really felt like a surgeon at times, and doing surgery on a nameless subject seems pretty morbid.

So, I took Betty apart last night after dinner and checked everything that I thought it could be. According to some online reviews, Betty could've had a loose or worn belt, bad brushes, some clogged hoses, or dust on her motor. I checked all of those things and I have to say that I did not find anything that I said "Ah Ha!" about, but Betty was pretty dusty in general and in need of good bath. So I broke her apart (with a hand-held old-fashioned screw driver), all the way down to the electrical wirings in the heart of Betty. On the way out of surgery, I realized I could call on my assistant who happens to own an electric screwdriver. So John pops down to the truck to retrieve my surgical instrument and we get Betty stitched back together in no time.

My Assistant even felt so relieved he went out to Big Boss for a beer with the guys while I finished my last few stitches.



There were a few things that required deep cleaning, like one of the filters that could be washed, but then needed to air dry, so I let Betty recover over night.


Today, I tested Betty out, and what do you think happened?

I will let you guess one of the following multiple choice answers:

A.) Betty did not work at all. "Vacuum Repair Lady" Dana is fired.

B.) I found several screws missing from Betty: vacuuming resulted in several pops and noises not typical of a vacuum.

C.) The smokey burning smell was present at the beginning of vacuuming but went away shortly after Betty was up and running.

D.) No smokey smell emitted from Betty; an estimated $90 for a vacuum repair man was saved due to the "Vacuum Repair Lady."


Vote now, and I will post the answer in the next couple days. Que Jeopardy music.

Recommendations please

Today, John and I went to the Verizon store to upgrade our plans. 2 years ago, all we needed was calling and texting...but now some things have changed.

John needs a business friendly phone, one that he can email, check the web, text, and do just about anything with. He found a phone he likes, and has all his wants/needs/fun things.

I need a phone that texts, calls people, and the battery doesn't die every day. End of my "needs/wants/fun things."

So, off to Verizon we go, feeling pretty good, mildly worried about how much all these "needs/wants/fun things" is going to cost, but knowing that at least his stuff can be written off for taxes for his business.

Now, for this part of the story, you have to understand that I consider myself a very patient person. BUT- I am a redhead, through and through. We are typically very patient, but once that scale is tipped, it's fury for all those involved...for good. Ask this to John and he'll completely agree, that it takes a lot to really make me mad, but when I am, it's fury. Fiery, mad fury.

On with the story:
We go into the Verizon store, look at a phone or two, and sign in. Up pops my name on the screen that the whole store can see that we are in need of the "sales" department...and we're the only name on the list. So we continue to browse for some phones. John's pretty set on the one he wants, I don't really know what I want...we're clicking through about 15 mins here.

I look up to the screen and see that my name is still there...still the only one there mind you. And continue to browse some more. A few more minutes go by and I glance up to see that my name is now off the list.

Oh Yay! We're about to get this underway.

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Okay, maybe not.
At this point, I'm getting pretty agitated. I contemplate re-signing in. Obviously, they didn't help me the first time, so..signing in again might help? I ask John what's going on, he doesn't know but he's trying to look up a different Verizon location on one of the display phones.

I make eye contact with a sales rep across the store behind a counter not helping anyone.

Okay, then we'll wait some more...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...


Alright John. Enough. I'm mad. Rudely mad. Mad enough that if someone stops me as I'm walking out the door to try their salesman pitch to keep me there, I'm going to be offensive.

Over 45 minutes at that store, and not ONE person came and talked to us.

Not a one.


I have never worked at Verizon, nor any other cellular phone store, but I think the only way to get business is to talk to someone.


So, this is where you come in. Now, we are thinking about changing providers. We've not been super pleased with Verizon overall, and today might have just tipped that scale to highly displeased.


Verizon is pretty much the only carrier I have used.

For my plan, it will cost $45/mo for the lowest minutes, and basic texting.

John's will cost $100, for mid-range minutes (900), internet, texting.

Pros for Verizon:
-Give you money every 2 yrs to apply towards a new phone.
-Already a customer, no more paperwork to fill out.
-Free in network minutes.

Cons for Verizon:
-Expensive
-See no difference than other carriers
-Poor customer service.


So please, Tell me what carrier you have, what you like/dislike about your carrier, and if it's worth switching. I've heard all the "salesmen-eese", I don't want to hear their input. You use it, you know what the downfalls are and the great things about your service; you know which phones are bad, which ones break constantly, and you know which company will be worth it in the long run. So, Tell me all about it!

June

So I realized that I haven't posted anything at all yet in June, and it's almost over!

In efforts to post..here's why we've been so busy!:
Palmer's 2yr bday party
Joseph from AHC visiting here
No Doubt concert
Dinner with friends with a new baby! (yay Mullises)
Bunko
Surprise Bday Party for Barry
Regan's 1st Bday Party
Weddings
Father's Day/Parent-in-Law's Anniversary/Bro-in-law's Bday (all in one day!)
Franceses B-day Party
Quitting my job
trying to find a new job


This week, I plan to:
Continue searching for new job
Start training new person to take over my current job
See Transformers 2
Visit new Smith baby boy
Do laundry before our trip next week


Next week:
Work Monday...my last day
Pack on Tuesday
Gone to the beach til Sunday evening
John's going to DC for a show on the 4th.


So, June has been busy for us. This of course does not include the weekly Homegroup meetings and helping John w/ his business most nights, and meetings with various people through the week.


People keep asking me how I feel about July and entering it with no job, and I'm really....happy, relieved, and ready for a break. I also feel confident that God will provide for us. He's done it time and time again when we have needed it, and I know that he will again. Also, I'm probably going to be helping John more through the day so that we're not spending every night doing business stuff.

I would like to see my husband occasionally when it has nothing to do with work.

Soon, I will have more interesting things to post. I promise. This is also why I do not twitter...no one wants to know our day-to-day activities, they are obviously very boring.


Also, shameless plug: If you are going to be in DC for the 4th, you should go see Silver play!! They are so excited and would love to see you there!

Experiment #1 on the cat - Part 2

So I don't know how well you'll be able to see this:






Can you see? That's HAIR!!! She's growing her hair back! Whoo hooo Experiment #1 is a success.

She doesn't really like the fish oil on her food, but she eats it. It's like a kid eating broccolli:

Aria- "Meow!"for food

Enzors- give cat food with stinky fish oil on it

Aria- sniffs food, give glaring look to evil person with fish oil

Enzors-shrug and walk off


4 hours later...

Aria-reluctantly eats food...slowly

Enzors- "Ha!" admit defeat cat!



I'm looking forward to the day that we have guests over who don't gasp in shock of our furless cat.



On another note, her new nickname is "Fur Leese" after Beathoven's Fur Elise. When said kinda sounds like a fake accent saying Fur less! haha :) I'm a nerd...I know.

East Street Living

Our wonderful, thoughtful, and incredibly nice friend Wendy gave John a GREAT Birthday gift! Okay, so it wasn't really for his birthday, but we hooked it up on his birthday....


A DRYER!!! a FREE dryer at that!! It only has a slight defect, in that it wont turn off unless you manually open the door, but we can deal with that. Plus I have "Mr. Fix-it" so we can figure it out and BAM, a perfect dryer!



Seriously, you have no idea how happy this makes me.


We were using the washer and dryer units here at the apartment complex, that was across the parking lot. Each load costs $2 to complete ($1 to wash/$1 to dry). A roll of quarters only does 5 loads this way, and considering that we wait until we have no clothes to do all of the clothes, it doesn't go very far. The washer is okay, but the dryers are like those you used in college, you have to keep feeding it quarters because one time through never completely dries the load. So now, we will be able to do 10 loads with a roll of quarters, and our water bill will not go up! (which is key when Wake Co. always has water restrictions in the summer)


A washer may be in the workings later, but for now, this is GREAT!!! I LOVE IT!!



P.S. - Never thought I would be this happy about an appliance that will end up making me work. THANKS WENDY!!!

A sad day for the Waffle House

Ms. Betty has passed away.

This is a sad day indeed, when one of our local celebrities is killed in a fatal car crash, because of a drunk driver.

What NC State or Meredith kid didn't know Ms. Betty? She was THE person to see at 3 am when the club/bar closed and you had a bad case of the munchies. What a sad sad day indeed.

It's amazing the things you learn about people when they're gone. I learned that she drove an 80 minute commute, just to work at the Waffle House. When the inevitable homeless person stopped in for some late night dinner, she would buy them their food, or offer them a place to stay. She had 4 children, and 11 grandchildren.

Ms. Betty, you and your wonderful scattered, smothered, and covered hashbrowns will be missed. The Waffle House will never be the same.

Way to go Ru. Co.

Rutherford County has it's first case of confirmed Swine Flu! NICE.

Considering this is where I'm from, I probably know the person. Had to call my bestfriend from there to congratulate her on the best title the county has ever had. I'm sure all the rednecks there are freaking out. Considering she's a nurse, I'm sure she's getting pretty upset at the locals right now running to the hospital everytime they cough.

Way to go "Small Town Friendly" got another award under the belt!

Cinco de Mayo

Two years ago, was a very busy and emotional Saturday. Two years ago, John and I were married.

Last year, we celebrated by eating a thawed 1 year old cake. We thought about what all had passed in a year, and most of it was trying to learn more about each other. The first year was us trying to learn "how" to be "us". There were a lot of waves, and for me emotionally that year was big. We took a newly wed class that I absolutely loved, and constantly feel like I need to go back to the Waffles and Spaghetti book to re-read my notes. I really love that book, and I constantly think about ways to use what it has taught us to benefit "us".

Today, at the two year mark, I will hardly get to see my husband. I'm a little bummed. I was supposed to go to the gym this morning, but skipped because I wanted to stay a little longer with him. He is sick right now, and I feel bad waking him up to tell him goodbye as I leave for work. Then when I get home tonight around 7, he will be at band practice until later on in the evening. This is a Tuesday night often occurance, and I love to see my husband play, but I wish our anniversary this year was not on a Tuesday. We planned that when he gets home we will try to go out for a drink somewhere, then I have to get home and in bed by 10 so I can wake up for the gym tomorrow (esp since I skipped both Monday and today). So this year, we're going to celebrate our Anniversary on Friday night with a nice quiet dinner and a little time out downtown afterwards.

I'm excited for Friday. Reflecting on this past year, we have done a lot. John got laid off, and consequently, started a new business. We tried to buy a house this year as well, and things did not work out well. We moved from our First apartment together in Cary, and downtown to a new place. We had a low-key New Year's Party at our new apartment. I was in a best friend's wedding, which has led us closer to some friends in the western part of the state. And John's getting busier by the day with the business. Not sure if it's just spring, or if the economy is turning around, but people are calling daily about new projects. One observation, since we moved downtown, I have started to notice our alcohol consumption has definitely increased, probably due to the proximity we are to the bar, and how everyone calls us when they're out for us to come and meet up with them. However, it's probably more accurate to say that the amount at one time has gone down, we just seem to drink more often. haha

So Friday, when we go to dinner, I will soak up every ounce of precious quiet alone time with him. It comes so rarely these days and I need it so much. It seems that lately when it does get quiet, we both end up falling asleep. Usually I'm excited to get to "do" things with John. We went to see the Nutcracker play one year for Christmas and I loved seeing that with him, and while it might be nice to "do" something, I'm just excited to finally get to spend one on one time with him. That is more precious to me this year than "doing" something.

Despite the overcast skies, and small amount of time I got to see him, this day has still started off pretty well: Work is having a Cinco de Mayo party, and my plate is full of yummy goodness; Tuesdays are generally the slower days at work; and my husband told me I look "really good" this morning....nice.



So Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

And Happy Happy Anniversary Hon, I love you, very much!

Trapped in Hell

I work in Hell.

I'm not exaggerating. I only think I'm alive, when really, I committed some horrible horrible sin, God struck me dead, and put me in hell.

A sin so horrible that I have no one left on the outside to pray for me. That must be the only way out; to have people...friends...family...anyone, praying for me.

Those who leave must have someone left on the outside who still loves them, and prays for them. Their prayers have been answered, they were brought back to life to try to redeem themselves from the awful sin they first committed.

I've been in hell now for 2 years. 2 incredibly long years. So long I no longer enjoy the rise and fall of the sun- the rise means I must go to work, and the fall means I must sleep, to again, go to work. I am incredibly bitter towards those who enjoy the simple things in life, as I have no energy left to be happy.

Others have been in hell longer, some for 15+ years. I think they were terrorists and killed an entire nation.





I can only pray that I left someone, anyone, on the outside to pray for me. Please pray!

Experiment update (quick)

Good news: Aria is calming down. She hasn't been licking as often, which I'm sure will be promising news for the hair (eventually). She's pretty much staying her loving, rub-on-your-leg self, and she's eating her food.

This cat is seriously finicky. She doesn't eat any actual meat, only what is in the form of cat food. No chicken, no fish, no beef, no nothing. If it's wet food, she'll lick off all the liquid flavoring, and then leave the rest for days, refusing to eat it. Needless to say, it's an accomplishment for her to eat her food with this Fish oil on it.

So far, She has not regrown hair. She has however, stopped licking so much. She still licks more often than necessary, but the recurrence has gone way down. She's pretty calm for the most part, and she hasnt gained any noticable weight.

On the negatives, I kinda wanted to see some hair regrowing by now. I guess I was a little anxious considering it's only been 2 1/2 weeks, but this cat is ugly right now. Also, her breath...STINKS! Horrible! She also is pretty timid about eating the food when it has the Fish oil on it, but eventually, she does eat it.

Overall, I'd say we're on a good path here! I will update at 4 weeks with pics and we can all vote on the outcomes! :)



P.S. - I'm starting to work out now, and my energy levels are great! I actually have a little muscle starting to form in my biceps and my butt is looking great!! :)

Experiment #1 on the cat

This is what my cat looks like right now:








No, I'm not a Beauty School Drop-Out and I didn't try to cut my cat's hair



She started a stress habit of cleaning herself and ended up licking all her furr off of her stomach, sides, and even most of her tail. She is pitiful. I have tried "Kitty Prozac" and she hates me every time I try to give her a pill. I also talked to a friend who can make this into a trans-dermal form, but requires me to pay again for the Rx. Trans-dermal is absolutely wonderful, but I would like get her to stop this without Rx medication.

Right now, she licks all the time. and I mean all the time. If she's not in my lap, she is cleaning herself or eating or drinking. (Freudian complex, yes I know).

And she has started attacking people. She is usually the cat that likes to rub on your leg and follow you around, but lately, she has been acting bipolar and flips to Psycho Kitty and bites your leg.

After hearing from a friend that her cat had the exact same issue (with the furr) and after a recommendation from a vet, started the cat on Fish oil, her cat grew its hair back in a month. I hadn't heard of this as treatment for stress or depression or anything that kitty prozac targets, but I do know Fish oil helps the hair stay shiny and smooth, and can lead to weight gain. While I don't really want my cat to gain more weight, I could see how the Fish oil could help her coat, even if it doesn't grow back.



So, now I'm playing Dr. Dana on my cat, Aria.



Here is how the experiment goes down:

Subject:
Aria (see horrible pics above)

Expectations:
See hair growth in 4-8 weeks (some sites say to expect hair regrowth in 6-8 weeks, combined with my friend's experience, maybe we'll see some results sooner than those expectations)

Controls:
Same Purina One salmon & tuna flavored food for length of experiment,
same amount of food at each feeding,
1 pump of Fish oil supplement each night at dinner onto dry food,
No changes in environment


Data:
Pics of hair growth and monitoring of cleaning habits. (I know this will only be from how often I see her cleaning herself, which is not an easily controlled data source)





Now, what I consider hair re-growth, is for those patches to be fully covered with furr. Some might consider a few hairs to be "re-growth" but this aint "Rogaine for Men" - a few little hairs aint convincing.



I'm excited! I feel like I'm starting AA for nerds: "Hi, I'm Dana, and I'm a nerd..."

What is this world coming to?

Dare I even say it..??


I found myself pulling for....THEM ....


What have I done? What am I doing?? why do I have them even winning even 1 game in these brackets?


I caught myself cheering and thinking "Go H**ls!"....yes, that word, when used in that context, is a curse.


Seriously, I am ashamed of myself.

Laundry

We did laundry on Sunday. About 8 loads of it.

I'm tired of looking at clothes...I'm tired of folding clothes...

And I haven't even started ironing the ones that need to be ironed so I can wear them this week.

Only to have to do this all over again, all too soon.



And I feel like we have really cut down on our laundry amount since we have to pay quarters and walk the hamper across the parking lot. We do things like wear our jeans atleast 3 days (unless they are John's work jeans in which they are disgusting and have to be washed), wash delicate things by hand, Hang at least one load on the drying rack to cut down on money for the dryer.

Doing a load a day is not really an option for us. For 1-I dont get home until late, and by the time I even get dinner done, it's almost 9, which is not a great time to be walking around, downtown, in the dark. 2-We tried, we forgot they were in the washer, and they ended up sitting there for an extra day...yuck.



I know some of you have kids, and have to do a lot more laundry than just John and I, so I felt the need to ask:

What things do you do to cut down on the laundry loads?

Tattoos and permanent body marks

When John and I met, one of the first things that came up was his tattoos. I noticed one on his shoulder, and it lead to a discussion about whether I had any, if I was offended by them, etc. Obviously, I married him, I'm not offended by them, but I don't have any myself.

From time to time, this discussion comes up from other people and they always ask if I will ever get any.

I think this answer is a two part one, which roots itself into a deeper me, that not many people other than my husband know. All of you probably know that I have a birthmark, of a pretty decent size, on my arm. Everyone can see it, it's not in a place that's easy to hide, especially during the summer. The one good thing about tattoos is that you get to choose what it looks like, and where it goes.
I already have my own sort of tattoo. So, I think one reason people get tattoos is for the fascination of putting a permanent mark on your body.

So now into the deeper me. (breathe..1..2...3...) When I was growing up, people always stared at my birthmark. I could go into a store and actually watch people glance at my face, and then directly to my arm and walk past me, staring the whole time at my arm. I tried out for various teams and roles where I would be looked at, and got turned down for various reasons, but none that made sense. People have been afraid to touch my arm, afraid that it will "hurt" or that they'll get something from a birthmark. Countless times people have said "OH My God! You hurt your arm!!" and continue to point and shout. Even in my wedding pictures, I made a point to tell our photographer (go Amy for putting up with my craziness) to try not to get my birthmark in our photos.

It has affected my self-esteem to a point where few can understand. Most people say they hardly even notice it after they've known me for a while. But if you would've been on the beach with me in college, people didn't stare at me for being the skinny girl in the bikini, they would stare at my arm and think "what happened?" People notice.

When I was a teenager, my mom and I went to a surgeon and talked about options to remove my birthmark. Besides being a huge ugly, hairy thing on my arm, it is also a health issue with cancer. Due to the size and how deep the birthmark goes into my skin, they can not do laser treatment to remove it. I would have to have a large amount of skin graphed onto my arm, or go through a series of surgeries that would take up to 2 years to complete. Obviously, we decided to not go through with it and left the birthmark.

So how does all this relate to tattoos you might ask. Honestly, I don't see a fascination with them, at all. I'm not against them, and I think they're cool if you choose something that you wish to represent the rest of your life, but I've never felt like I want to get inked to remember those times. I still think my husband looks great, it doesnt change because he has tattoos, and because they're an expression of him, I find them pretty hot.

But for me, I've already had people stare at me all my life, I don't think a tattoo will help.

Because of my birthmark, and all the implications, all the under-the-breath comments, all of the things I've tried out for but wasn't chosen because the uniform of choice would be short sleeved (or sleeveless), I am very weary as to what I protray. I choose things importantly and very well thoughtout. When my husband says he wants to get sleeved out, I'm the voice of reason(or the party-pooper) who says that he will one day be judged very harshly for chosing those actions. I also think that if you don't want people to notice it about you, then take a proactive step to either cover it up, or not get it at all.

One day, I might get a tattoo, but I think it will be a huge hurdle for me to conquer emotionally.

Positives

One of my new year's goals is to be more positive. It's not that I feel like I'm always negative, but I feel like it's easier sometimes to be negative when it's all around you.

Today, Is a GREAT day! And here are all the positives:

1. Our friend Adam, who got laid off a few months back, started a new job today!

2. John found out that one of his projects is actually going to get started soon, so we'll be getting paid very soon!

3. John finished up some much needed work on the existing Oakwood houses and will be getting paid very soon from that.

4. I started working out last night, and I feel the burn today.

5. I finally got the 2 huge stacks of patient charts cleared off my desk today (at work) that have been sitting there for months.

6. There are some promising doors opening for John's Band.

7. After over a hundred dollars at the vet, I have finally isolated the problem with our cat to a behavioral problem. (The problem itself is bad, but now I know what it is...that's the positive.)



Today was a very good day. And it's not even over yet! :)

Stimulus package and homes

I was reading a friends blog talking about the stimulus package from Obama.

One question Traci posed:
"Do you have thoughts on what WE can do? and/or what the GOVT should do?"

And I started thinking about what I would do if they gave us money...again. And what I would expect other people to do.

First, I think there is enough division in our social class right now that most people can tell a more definite distinction than before our economy got flushed between who is upper, middle, and lower class.

Second, we're going to spend the money we're given in the same way we did the first stimulus package, or probably even more "cautious" than we did the first. We saved ours the first time. But since then, John has lost his job, we changed apartments, winter came and for anyone who knows construction and electrician work, that means business has been slow for us. So we're definitely going to be more frugal. We're going to pay our light bill, or the car payment, or rent. Some where all of our money is already going.

Third, the only way I'm spending money on shopping is if I get a mall gift card as my stimulus package. Ya know the ones, where you can only spend that money in that particular mall. And even then, I would be thinking about how much more I would rather be spending that money at the grocery store, or paying off my car, or paying my student loans.


So in response to the question posed at the beginning: I heard someone say the other day that if we have money to spend, we should spend it. We should pay for our roof to be fixed, or we should buy that TV we've been wanting, etc, because it means that someone is being employed by that money.


John and I have wanted to be done with renting for so long. No one knows just how badly we would love to buy a house right now. The market is a "buyers market"...but no one has money to buy a house. With him starting his own business, I don't see that dream of us buying a house happening for a very, very long time. I'm not talking later in the year, or even next year. I mean not for at least 3 or 4 years. This to me is extremely depressing. I am so tired of throwing money away renting.


If I could spend my stimulus package buying a home, I would. Government, Please give me a $100,000 stimulus package so I can buy a home.

Power and Change

Today I was reading in the N&O an article on Obama and abortion.

I'd like to tell you first...I am not going to debate abortion with you through a blog. If you would like to hear what I have to say, then we can talk in person.

I felt like blogging about this because with this election, and all of the historic meaning it has, it has brought a lot of press. And with that press, a lot of expectations. So, to win this election, Obama has promised change, and he has not been quiet about making that promise. But now, I think he's realizing how much power he does, and does not have to make change happen.

Just like every other president before him, he will try to take into effect the things that he thinks needs to be fixed. He may fail, he may triumph, but while he has only been our president for only a week, I think he is truly realizing just how much of an impact his choice makes on the American person.

If you read through the article, you'll find where it talks about Obama might reverse a rule that was recently put into effect "that allows medical personnel to withhold service or treatment they deem a violation of conscience." But then goes on to talk about how this rule is considered a standing point for Catholics, in particular Catholic Hospitals. The treatment or service being pinpointed is obviously abortion.

But just how much can our new president change our rules about abortion rights, without there being a consequence of healthcare, and hospital care?

I think it's something we should all think about. Sometimes, it's not just the issue at hand, but all that the issue affects, that we should really consider. Whether you're proabortion, pro-choice, pro-life, or if you choose the path least controversial, you should think about things like this. No matter how much power you might have or might not have, your actions and your beliefs will affect more than just you.

Enter: Ditsy Girl

Last night, I was watching a show, and they gave the viewers a glimpse of info they're not really supposed to know. Everyone has experienced it. You know, that glimpse of the killer on the other side of the door, and...Oh no, Ditsy Girl (that being her credit name) opens the door to find the killer waiting on her.

I always talk "at" the TV in these instances. I say things like "NO NO NO Ditsy Girl! Don't open that door! He's RIGHT THERE!!!" and things like "WHAT!?!? Are You kidding me!?!??? Don't you SEE him??"

It was at this instant, that I had an epiphany. It's funny that God is that "knowing" viewer in our lives. I could only help but laugh thinking he's saying to me "NO NO NO Dana! Don't open THAT door! There is a better way!" and "WHAT!?!? Don't you SEE me!?? I'm right HERE! "

Sometimes we make mistakes, and we look back and wonder what in the world we were thinking.

Sometimes, we play the part of the Ditsy Girl, and never really think we made a mistake, and go on about our merry way, oblivious to the dangers ahead.

I've played both parts, as I'm sure most people have. And sometimes, although it be very strange, I play them both at the same time. I look back and think, "What was I doing?" and yet, I still am doing those same type things, oblivious to the danger. It's like I wasn't murdered in quite the right Horrific way the first time, that I feel I need to go back and try it again, this time RUNNING to the killer on the other side of the door.

One of my obsessions: Teeth

I really love going to the Dentist. Or I should say I love going to My Dentist. This is how I feel after I leave my appointment this morning:

I love the scraping sound as they're getting off all that plague that the toothbrush just can't get, and I really really love the polish. I like the squeaky clean feeling of your mouth when you leave.

I guess this weird obsession came when I had braces. I'm guessing maybe one of the two readers I have would know what I'm talking about. Every month or so, you go back to get the wires tightened, and they clean your teeth. You get the colors changed, and they clean your teeth. You go in for a check-up, where they do absolutely nothing... but... clean your teeth. And every time, I loved it. I got used to all the different gadgets sounds and weird functions, to where it doesn't bother me. (Getting cavities filled is a whole different story! I hate that drill!!)

And now, years later, I can tell when the hygienist does a poor job (as in my last dentist) and breezes through and hardly scrapes anything. Some might find that a joy, that they are in and out and maybe "no report is a good report" but not me. If you're cleaning for less than 15 mins, you're doing a poor job, and you're probably missing something big.

I only had 2 bad reports today, both of which I already knew. I grind my teeth, and I brush too hard. I think I like that scrape your teeth off feeling of those metal tools too much, and the toothbrush is a poor substitute. I brush with a vengeance, in all directions, until I "feel" like they're clean. "Feel" meaning that they never feel that dentist clean, but I sure try with the toothbrush, and pretty much wear out every toothbrush within 2 months. The grinding teeth thing is pretty much giving me flat, herbivorous dinosaur teeth.

John and I bought these Crest electric toothbrushes once, and they're supposed to be better for your teeth in that they do all the work for you, you just move it around your mouth. Supposedly, these $5 brushes get into spaces that the "normal" plain Jane non-motorized, $2.00 brush can not. John's lasted 6 months (like it's supposed to), and mine lasted only 2 months because I pushed on the brush too hard, constantly. I never felt like it was cleaning good enough.


So, here's what my teeth will probably look like when I'm older, says my hygienist: