Hello everyone!! I’m so excited (and a little scared!) to be posting this (and you might be just as scared to be reading it!!) I have committed once again to training for a crazy endurance event and raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
I got through the Los Angeles Marathon last year and just this month I finished a ½ marathon in Phoenix with Team In Training. This time around I will be training for America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride on June 1st. Sounds great right? This is a 100 mile bike ride at Lake Tahoe!! AHH! I have also increased my goal to raise $5,000 this time. Why do you ask? Because we have not cured blood cancers yet! Here are some scary facts for you to consider:
• An estimated 747,465 Americans have blood cancers.
• Every 5 minutes, someone is diagnosed.
• Every 10 minutes someone dies from blood cancers
• This year 35,070 people will be diagnosed with leukemia
• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under 20
There have been some amazing breakthroughs with medications which take some forms of leukemia from being a death sentence, to being a chronic disease. This has been made possible by the support and research provided by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and more importantly, by donations from YOU! There is still so much to be done by all of us, which is why I am asking you to donate generously to this amazing cause! As you know, everything you donate is tax deductible, 75% of every dollar goes directly to the mission of patient care and research (which is working!!)
Please follow the link below to make your donation. I greatly appreciate it, as do the millions fighting blood cancers right now!! Thanks in advance everyone!
http://www.active.com/donate/tntdms/chelsbels
If you would rather write a check, you can make it to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” and ask me for my address :)
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
**Pass this along to everyone you know they can help in finding a cure too!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
No News
Hey All! Not much to say really. I was going to write a blog last week about something, and now I have no idea what that would have been about...
Let's see...last weekend was a 3 day weekend...but what the hell did I do? Saturday me & Jeff went to an information meeting about the Century Ride, so I'm 99% sure we're going to be doing that. There's only a sliver of a doubt because it's a big fundraising amount we need to get, $4200! So Jeff & I talked about working on that together thinking maybe it'd be easier to raise that much.
What else? This weekend was a really quiet weekend. Some people came over Friday night. Yesterday Ivan & I put a deposit on some furniture! Yes we're growing up and slowing down the moving pace by buying furniture. We just put it on layaway until our lease is up; we're thinking about moving into a house in July, so if we do that we'll just have the furniture moved straight into a house, and if we don't, then the rented furniture can be picked up and the new stuff moved here. The couch is AMAZING! haha It's a big L shaped one, and the pillows and cusions are filled with down! Oh it's so cozy. And the ottoman is gigantic. We love big ottomans...does that sound weird? Anyway, we're excited. And it would be exciting to live in a house too. (With a pool of course!)
Work's good. No news there really. I told my company I want to stay with this district, assuming they still need a contract next year. Which I have no doubts that they will. It's a growing district and I'm sure some of the contractors, at least 1 I think, won't be back next year. We'll see. Worst case scenario is that I have to work in a nearby district. Obviously I hope that's not the case, but I'm used to change so it won't be the end of the world.
I think I can say that Charlie is officially housetrained and it happened really quickly. In the 3 weeks we've doing this hardcore she's only had 1 accident. It's pretty nice actually.
So I guess not much more to say. I'm excited for people to start visiting-- Breigh is coming in a couple weeks (Breigh who I worked with in California), my parents will be here in early March, Becky is coming at the end of March for a weekend, and my penpal Cathy is coming the first week of June. Then I will be heading home for a couple weeks. I'm just really excited for summer!!! I'm going to be able to take the smmer off for the first time and I am just SOOOOO excited to do nothing, or whatever I want!! I've been thinking about taking golf lessons. There is a place where I can get 6 lessons for $250, I'd pay that. I'd like to just take some lessons and see if it's something I could get into. I mean we live in a place where you can golf year round and there are millions of golf courses so I figure I should try it out. There's also cheap tennis lessons at the courts near us, thought that would be fun too. I've played before but taking lessons would be fun and a good way to meet people too.
Anyway, that's all for now. Just enjoying a rainy day watching movies in bed. Ivan is volunteering at a Super Bowl event all day. Later.
Let's see...last weekend was a 3 day weekend...but what the hell did I do? Saturday me & Jeff went to an information meeting about the Century Ride, so I'm 99% sure we're going to be doing that. There's only a sliver of a doubt because it's a big fundraising amount we need to get, $4200! So Jeff & I talked about working on that together thinking maybe it'd be easier to raise that much.
What else? This weekend was a really quiet weekend. Some people came over Friday night. Yesterday Ivan & I put a deposit on some furniture! Yes we're growing up and slowing down the moving pace by buying furniture. We just put it on layaway until our lease is up; we're thinking about moving into a house in July, so if we do that we'll just have the furniture moved straight into a house, and if we don't, then the rented furniture can be picked up and the new stuff moved here. The couch is AMAZING! haha It's a big L shaped one, and the pillows and cusions are filled with down! Oh it's so cozy. And the ottoman is gigantic. We love big ottomans...does that sound weird? Anyway, we're excited. And it would be exciting to live in a house too. (With a pool of course!)
Work's good. No news there really. I told my company I want to stay with this district, assuming they still need a contract next year. Which I have no doubts that they will. It's a growing district and I'm sure some of the contractors, at least 1 I think, won't be back next year. We'll see. Worst case scenario is that I have to work in a nearby district. Obviously I hope that's not the case, but I'm used to change so it won't be the end of the world.
I think I can say that Charlie is officially housetrained and it happened really quickly. In the 3 weeks we've doing this hardcore she's only had 1 accident. It's pretty nice actually.
So I guess not much more to say. I'm excited for people to start visiting-- Breigh is coming in a couple weeks (Breigh who I worked with in California), my parents will be here in early March, Becky is coming at the end of March for a weekend, and my penpal Cathy is coming the first week of June. Then I will be heading home for a couple weeks. I'm just really excited for summer!!! I'm going to be able to take the smmer off for the first time and I am just SOOOOO excited to do nothing, or whatever I want!! I've been thinking about taking golf lessons. There is a place where I can get 6 lessons for $250, I'd pay that. I'd like to just take some lessons and see if it's something I could get into. I mean we live in a place where you can golf year round and there are millions of golf courses so I figure I should try it out. There's also cheap tennis lessons at the courts near us, thought that would be fun too. I've played before but taking lessons would be fun and a good way to meet people too.
Anyway, that's all for now. Just enjoying a rainy day watching movies in bed. Ivan is volunteering at a Super Bowl event all day. Later.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Heath Ledger
Is it weird that I am that upset about someone dying who I don't know personally? Because I am genuinely upset and disturbed by him dying. I was a huge fan of his...in fact years ago I swore I was going to name my kids Heath & Gabriel (Gabriel after his character in The Patriot). I think it's just so sad I guess because he's so young, talented, and has a young child. I dunno. And I keep reading all the updates about the stories rolling in, they had a press release from his family, and they had talked to Michelle Williams (ex, and mother of the child) and ya know, everyone is just distraught obviously. They did say he'd had pneumonia and trouble sleeping, and it was ruled accidental. I guess that's why it's so sad, he wasn't trying to do this. Can you imagine? Just so sad.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Pics from the 1/2
Just follow this link if you want to see pics from the 1/2 marathon. You can search by my last name or by bib #45145.
http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=29137
Enjoy!
http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=29137
Enjoy!
Monday, January 14, 2008
1/2 Marathon Finisher!
Whew, no getting scooped up in a van for me :) Sunday was the 1/2 marathon in Phoenix which I "trained" for with Team In Training again, this time as a mentor. Which is why I wasn't filling up your inboxes begging for money! As a mentor, you have the option of not fundraising, I think it's every other season. So you got this season off everyone, but just wait until my next one, I'll expect some donations again, although I'll try not get mean about it this time :) haha
So anyway, Saturday night was the pasta party where we all go carb load and listen to people make us cry. You get the standard motivational person, and then we get a survivor, or someone still in treatment telling us all these crazy things, all the while making you feel wonderful and horrible. Walking into the dinner is the "red carpet" where all the coaches, coordinators, and mentors make all this noise & cheer & blow whistles in your face and all this stuff. This year I was doing the cheering. I remember last year being a bit traumatized because you don't know it's coming and it's so loud, and so many people, and you just want to cry a little bit! So it was kinda of fun to watch it happen to other people! haha
They had some crazy numbers to tell us too. Let's see if I can remember--this year is TNT's 20th anniversary...in that 20 years, there have been over 340,000 participants just like me, who have raised..............$800,000 million dollars for research!!! Can you believe that number? Wow! I'm trying to remember some of the other things they said...something like 61% of money used to go directly to research, now it's 95%!! Anyway, there were some crazy numbers, to be VERY proud of, but there is still so much work to be done. There's no cure!!! Although there has been wonderful progress with the medication, Gleevac, which these people will have to take everyday for the rest of their lives, and within I think 10 years or less they hope to have like 11 more medications available...(Still no cure you guys!)
Anyway, the race itself was good. A nice flat course, perfect 65 degree weather, a band at every mile, plenty of sports drinks & water offered along the way. Can't really complain. The miles seemed to just tick by...until like mile 9 that is. Then they got a little slower...but I'm only having minor aches & pains, nothing too major. I finished in just at 4 hours, since I walked the whole thing, which I'm content with.
This whole season was a weird one for me. I feel like I wasn't committed for some reason. I think because I came into the season late maybe?? Anyway, as every race, pasta party, or any TNT event will do, it reminds me of why I sign up in the first place. And I'm completely re motivated. So, I still have visions of the triple crown (which means I need to complete a 100 mile bike ride and a triathlon!), and a Hike (they have a newer program called Hike For Discovery), and I really want to get up to the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, which is a TNT event (and there are SF firemen in tuxes waiting at the finish line with Tiffany necklaces!) AND there is a completely non-TNT related goal that would be so cool to accomplish-- there are a series of 1/2 & full marathons across the country called the "Rock-n-Roll" series (this one in Phoenix was one of them) and they have different medals for completing the races-- for example, you get a 26.2 rock star medal for a full or two halves, a 39.3 medal for a full & half or 3 halves, and so on, a gold musical note for completing back to back marathons in 5 weeks! (WOW!), and if you do at least 5 of their races (all of this in the same calendar year) you get a GIANT gold medal that says "ROCK STAR" on it. It's just amazing. There is a guy on our team this year who did this and we saw all his medals, which were awesome.
So I've got some decisions to make...what do I do first??? I need a break...I need my Saturdays to sleep in on for awhile, but I don't know what to do first. Obviously there's no rush, these events will be here for years and years...but what to do......
P.S.-- I'll need your help :)
So anyway, Saturday night was the pasta party where we all go carb load and listen to people make us cry. You get the standard motivational person, and then we get a survivor, or someone still in treatment telling us all these crazy things, all the while making you feel wonderful and horrible. Walking into the dinner is the "red carpet" where all the coaches, coordinators, and mentors make all this noise & cheer & blow whistles in your face and all this stuff. This year I was doing the cheering. I remember last year being a bit traumatized because you don't know it's coming and it's so loud, and so many people, and you just want to cry a little bit! So it was kinda of fun to watch it happen to other people! haha
They had some crazy numbers to tell us too. Let's see if I can remember--this year is TNT's 20th anniversary...in that 20 years, there have been over 340,000 participants just like me, who have raised..............$800,000 million dollars for research!!! Can you believe that number? Wow! I'm trying to remember some of the other things they said...something like 61% of money used to go directly to research, now it's 95%!! Anyway, there were some crazy numbers, to be VERY proud of, but there is still so much work to be done. There's no cure!!! Although there has been wonderful progress with the medication, Gleevac, which these people will have to take everyday for the rest of their lives, and within I think 10 years or less they hope to have like 11 more medications available...(Still no cure you guys!)
Anyway, the race itself was good. A nice flat course, perfect 65 degree weather, a band at every mile, plenty of sports drinks & water offered along the way. Can't really complain. The miles seemed to just tick by...until like mile 9 that is. Then they got a little slower...but I'm only having minor aches & pains, nothing too major. I finished in just at 4 hours, since I walked the whole thing, which I'm content with.
This whole season was a weird one for me. I feel like I wasn't committed for some reason. I think because I came into the season late maybe?? Anyway, as every race, pasta party, or any TNT event will do, it reminds me of why I sign up in the first place. And I'm completely re motivated. So, I still have visions of the triple crown (which means I need to complete a 100 mile bike ride and a triathlon!), and a Hike (they have a newer program called Hike For Discovery), and I really want to get up to the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, which is a TNT event (and there are SF firemen in tuxes waiting at the finish line with Tiffany necklaces!) AND there is a completely non-TNT related goal that would be so cool to accomplish-- there are a series of 1/2 & full marathons across the country called the "Rock-n-Roll" series (this one in Phoenix was one of them) and they have different medals for completing the races-- for example, you get a 26.2 rock star medal for a full or two halves, a 39.3 medal for a full & half or 3 halves, and so on, a gold musical note for completing back to back marathons in 5 weeks! (WOW!), and if you do at least 5 of their races (all of this in the same calendar year) you get a GIANT gold medal that says "ROCK STAR" on it. It's just amazing. There is a guy on our team this year who did this and we saw all his medals, which were awesome.
So I've got some decisions to make...what do I do first??? I need a break...I need my Saturdays to sleep in on for awhile, but I don't know what to do first. Obviously there's no rush, these events will be here for years and years...but what to do......
P.S.-- I'll need your help :)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Back to Life, bah!
So it's back to life as usual now.
I flew back to AZ on Wednesday the 2nd, with an hour delay in Denver, 40 minutes of sitting on a non-moving plane, and then only to land to find my luggage didn't make the trip with me!!! Finally got back to Surprise at about 2 a.m. My luggage, although torn open!, was delivered to me about 6 o'clock Thursday evening.
On Thursday Ivan took the day off work to hang out with me. We went out to lunch (Red Robin is wonderful) and to the movies to see Juno, which was good. A funny, witty movie about teen pregnancy...because teen pregnancy is so funny right? haha
Friday I rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned the heck out of our carpet. See....when we got Charlie, we got lazy. My intention was for Lucy to housetrain Charlie. I thought she might just pick up on what Lucy was doing...for everyone's reference: this is not the case. One well trained dog will not teach another dog to pee on a pad. So it's time to step in and give Lucy a break. So anyway, I cleaned the carpet and we've been taking them outside to pee like every 2 hours, while watching Charlie like a hawk. It's been 6 days and we've had only one occurrence of peeing on the carpet, which she was locked up for awhile for that one. I just hope she gets it eventually. Right now she's just not getting the opportunity to pee on the carpet, but I hope it actually clicks with her to NOT pee on the carpet, by choice that is :) We'll see.
What else...Saturday I had my last practice before the half-marathon... I'm sooo not ready. But oh well. I've done it before, I'll do it again, and if I'm so slow I get scooped up in a van and carried to the finish line, I actually won't really care! I've got nothing left to prove to myself and I just didn't put any effort really into training this season. So, I'm ready for it just be over with I guess.
That day I also did a little shopping with my gift cards and got a shelf, and a wall hanging. Nice little additions to the place I think. That night was Johnathan's birthday so we played this card game called "Skit Skat." Which was super fun. And drank of course. Drank too much. And Jeff came back from visiting people in Utah & Vegas. I ended up in bed sick most of Sunday. Why this always happens to me I don't know! Ok, I do know why, but I swear I always think I've stopped in time and I never do apparently.
Back to work on Monday. Which I sat there thinking...is there anyway at all that I can work part time? I really don't want to go back to work! So on the one hand it's nice to be back in a routine and everything, and on the other I could have used about another week off work! I'm so looking forward to this summer. The plan is to actually take the summer off. 12 whole weeks! Can you imagine? I would think maybe I'd be ready to get back to work then right...? We'll see. The most I've ever had off at one time was 6 weeks. Which was nice, but sucked because I hadn't planned for 6 weeks. This will be different because I'm planning on no income. Or at least very little income. I might see some home kids. At this moment I'm thinking I wouldn't want to see more than 5. Which means I could work like 1 hour a day, or 1 day a week, or just 2 days a week each day a couple of hours. Sounds magical to me. haha
This week some mutual friends of Johnathan & mine are coming to visit. Although it's a horrible weekend because I'll be busy with Team In Training and the marathon & all of that jazz. They are going to Vegas on Saturday night, which is probably good so I don't have the distractions before the race and be tempted to like drink all night and skip the race all together. hah....not a bad idea necessarily :)
So I guess that's about it... I've probably wasted enough time and should do some work...huh?
I flew back to AZ on Wednesday the 2nd, with an hour delay in Denver, 40 minutes of sitting on a non-moving plane, and then only to land to find my luggage didn't make the trip with me!!! Finally got back to Surprise at about 2 a.m. My luggage, although torn open!, was delivered to me about 6 o'clock Thursday evening.
On Thursday Ivan took the day off work to hang out with me. We went out to lunch (Red Robin is wonderful) and to the movies to see Juno, which was good. A funny, witty movie about teen pregnancy...because teen pregnancy is so funny right? haha
Friday I rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned the heck out of our carpet. See....when we got Charlie, we got lazy. My intention was for Lucy to housetrain Charlie. I thought she might just pick up on what Lucy was doing...for everyone's reference: this is not the case. One well trained dog will not teach another dog to pee on a pad. So it's time to step in and give Lucy a break. So anyway, I cleaned the carpet and we've been taking them outside to pee like every 2 hours, while watching Charlie like a hawk. It's been 6 days and we've had only one occurrence of peeing on the carpet, which she was locked up for awhile for that one. I just hope she gets it eventually. Right now she's just not getting the opportunity to pee on the carpet, but I hope it actually clicks with her to NOT pee on the carpet, by choice that is :) We'll see.
What else...Saturday I had my last practice before the half-marathon... I'm sooo not ready. But oh well. I've done it before, I'll do it again, and if I'm so slow I get scooped up in a van and carried to the finish line, I actually won't really care! I've got nothing left to prove to myself and I just didn't put any effort really into training this season. So, I'm ready for it just be over with I guess.
That day I also did a little shopping with my gift cards and got a shelf, and a wall hanging. Nice little additions to the place I think. That night was Johnathan's birthday so we played this card game called "Skit Skat." Which was super fun. And drank of course. Drank too much. And Jeff came back from visiting people in Utah & Vegas. I ended up in bed sick most of Sunday. Why this always happens to me I don't know! Ok, I do know why, but I swear I always think I've stopped in time and I never do apparently.
Back to work on Monday. Which I sat there thinking...is there anyway at all that I can work part time? I really don't want to go back to work! So on the one hand it's nice to be back in a routine and everything, and on the other I could have used about another week off work! I'm so looking forward to this summer. The plan is to actually take the summer off. 12 whole weeks! Can you imagine? I would think maybe I'd be ready to get back to work then right...? We'll see. The most I've ever had off at one time was 6 weeks. Which was nice, but sucked because I hadn't planned for 6 weeks. This will be different because I'm planning on no income. Or at least very little income. I might see some home kids. At this moment I'm thinking I wouldn't want to see more than 5. Which means I could work like 1 hour a day, or 1 day a week, or just 2 days a week each day a couple of hours. Sounds magical to me. haha
This week some mutual friends of Johnathan & mine are coming to visit. Although it's a horrible weekend because I'll be busy with Team In Training and the marathon & all of that jazz. They are going to Vegas on Saturday night, which is probably good so I don't have the distractions before the race and be tempted to like drink all night and skip the race all together. hah....not a bad idea necessarily :)
So I guess that's about it... I've probably wasted enough time and should do some work...huh?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Snow snow everywhere!
It's snowing! I haven't really seen snow in like 3 years because whenever I am home it doesn't really snow...and right now it is snowing like nobody's business. It's pretty. However, it started snowing while I was driving in Bloomington. I really didn't know if I should drive slow, was it slick? I couldn't remember. But everyone else on the roads started driving like snails imediately. So I did too. I think they were being a little over precautious, but I also thought it wouldn't be good to be cocky and end up in the ditch either. Now the wind is picking up too!
So anyway, my trip home ends in a couple of days. This has been my laziest trip home ever! I saw almost everyone I normally see, just not as much as usual. I was content just sitting at home, being on vacation, and just taking a break from everything. Is that bad? Oh well. Tonight I'm opting to hang with my family and play board games instead of drinking..I need a break from drinking! I've only drank a couple times while I was home, so it's more like I need a break from it because of all the drinking & late hours in Arizona. Maybe that's the difference. When I would come home to visit from California I was socially starved, and now when I come home from Arizona I want a break from being social!!
So, yet again, I've been thinking a lot about South Africa. I go so much back and forth about this-- about whether I should go this year or wait until next year. On the one hand I've been waiting long enough I think. On the other, I know how good I will feel if I pay off all my debt! I dunno. I'm just going to have to wait & see how the saving/bill paying goes. Seems like I write about this all the time, but it's always on my mind. So today I woke up and thought, well if everything is going well and I decide to go, I need a passport. My plan was to get a passport today. Which I didn't. The post office closed early & Walgreens was going to take forever to get a picture done. I might try again on Wednesday. Besides, you need them for even going to Mexico now, so I should just have one.
Well anyway, as I was looking through my 'memory box' to get my birth certificate I looked through all my stuff from my internship in Florida...what a great time that was! It just made me think I needed to get to South Africa even quicker though! Who freakin' knows. I'm so wishy washy. I know I want to go and will go, I just can't figure out when. AHH!
So anyway, my trip home ends in a couple of days. This has been my laziest trip home ever! I saw almost everyone I normally see, just not as much as usual. I was content just sitting at home, being on vacation, and just taking a break from everything. Is that bad? Oh well. Tonight I'm opting to hang with my family and play board games instead of drinking..I need a break from drinking! I've only drank a couple times while I was home, so it's more like I need a break from it because of all the drinking & late hours in Arizona. Maybe that's the difference. When I would come home to visit from California I was socially starved, and now when I come home from Arizona I want a break from being social!!
So, yet again, I've been thinking a lot about South Africa. I go so much back and forth about this-- about whether I should go this year or wait until next year. On the one hand I've been waiting long enough I think. On the other, I know how good I will feel if I pay off all my debt! I dunno. I'm just going to have to wait & see how the saving/bill paying goes. Seems like I write about this all the time, but it's always on my mind. So today I woke up and thought, well if everything is going well and I decide to go, I need a passport. My plan was to get a passport today. Which I didn't. The post office closed early & Walgreens was going to take forever to get a picture done. I might try again on Wednesday. Besides, you need them for even going to Mexico now, so I should just have one.
Well anyway, as I was looking through my 'memory box' to get my birth certificate I looked through all my stuff from my internship in Florida...what a great time that was! It just made me think I needed to get to South Africa even quicker though! Who freakin' knows. I'm so wishy washy. I know I want to go and will go, I just can't figure out when. AHH!
2008 is Gonna Be Great
Yes, yes 2008 is gonna be great! 2007 wasn't a bad year by any means, but I really feel good about 2008. Ivan & I have finally got our money under control, are making headway, and have big plans. Our first year out of college we moved to California and lived like we were on a year long vacation. Our second year in California we got rid of credit cards and struggled for a long while to recover from our 6 weeks off work... we didn't plan well enough for that 'summer break' because I didn't expect it to be that long. And adjusting to living with only the money you make is well, it's really hard. This year in Arizona things have been so much better! It was a rocky start because I had a lot of car troubles but being able to pay for those in cash without any real difficulties is pretty awesome in itself. So, we are now firmly on our feet, 'off' credit cards (because yes, I would say we, as most people are, were addicted, or at the very least dependant on them for some time), and paying off bills, BIG TIME! Financially, 2008 is going to be OUR year!!
So I am just going to look at what I'd like to improve upon in 2008. I refuse to call them resolutions. I don't plan to just magically change my life 3 days from now. These are things I want to change, work towards, learn more about etc. in 2008. And I am completely confident that I will.
1. Obviously number 1 is to pay off old debt and majorly save some money. This should be no problem at all if I just focus. And hell, even if I don't focus 100%, this should still be very feasible now that the holidays are over, I have started my second job, credit cards are out, we already 'binged' on our new TV's and entertainment center, and we're ready to committ to our financial goals. I'm super psyched about this. And it helps that I am at home right now and everywhere I turn everyone is obsessed with Dave Ramsy, this financial guru, and they appear to be doing very well. Anyway, it's great motivation and I really have no excuses left. This is OUR year.
2. As usual I need to get my health in check. I have been on a yo yo weight thing for years and once again I have packed on some pounds. I just need to get more active. I need to find something I enjoy. Ivan just bought me a bike so I do think that will help. I'm not saying I'm going to lose a ton of weight or anything like that, I just need to put more effort into being active and healthy (and ENJOYING being active and healthy).
3. I want to learn more about Buddhism...am I going to be a "Buddhist?" Doubtful! But I think the Buddhist way of life is something that anyone should be trying to live. I think it's a positive way of life...and at the very least, I just want to learn about it. Even more than that I just want to focus on positive thinking. I have 2 Buddhist books right now I'm reading so I can see what it's really all about. I even found a Buddhist group in Surprise. I'm scared of it though...We'll see. Like I said, I just want to learn about it. ***And for those of you worrying and questioning this, I'd just like to lay out the disclaimer that Buddhism really IS NOT a religion.
Those are my biggies for 08, finances, health, and positive thinking. Can't hurt anyone.
My goal had been to get to South Africa this year and I don't know if that is going to happen or not. Seeing as how I'm trying to eliminate my old debt I think I should do that first and next year be able to go to South Africa with complete financial freedom! haha On the other hand I SOOOOO want to go and talk South Africa into the living right & positive thinking category very easily. We shall see. Maybe money will be amazingingly great... :) haha...
Anyway, I'm very excited about 2008 and am sure it will be a fantastic year!
So I am just going to look at what I'd like to improve upon in 2008. I refuse to call them resolutions. I don't plan to just magically change my life 3 days from now. These are things I want to change, work towards, learn more about etc. in 2008. And I am completely confident that I will.
1. Obviously number 1 is to pay off old debt and majorly save some money. This should be no problem at all if I just focus. And hell, even if I don't focus 100%, this should still be very feasible now that the holidays are over, I have started my second job, credit cards are out, we already 'binged' on our new TV's and entertainment center, and we're ready to committ to our financial goals. I'm super psyched about this. And it helps that I am at home right now and everywhere I turn everyone is obsessed with Dave Ramsy, this financial guru, and they appear to be doing very well. Anyway, it's great motivation and I really have no excuses left. This is OUR year.
2. As usual I need to get my health in check. I have been on a yo yo weight thing for years and once again I have packed on some pounds. I just need to get more active. I need to find something I enjoy. Ivan just bought me a bike so I do think that will help. I'm not saying I'm going to lose a ton of weight or anything like that, I just need to put more effort into being active and healthy (and ENJOYING being active and healthy).
3. I want to learn more about Buddhism...am I going to be a "Buddhist?" Doubtful! But I think the Buddhist way of life is something that anyone should be trying to live. I think it's a positive way of life...and at the very least, I just want to learn about it. Even more than that I just want to focus on positive thinking. I have 2 Buddhist books right now I'm reading so I can see what it's really all about. I even found a Buddhist group in Surprise. I'm scared of it though...We'll see. Like I said, I just want to learn about it. ***And for those of you worrying and questioning this, I'd just like to lay out the disclaimer that Buddhism really IS NOT a religion.
Those are my biggies for 08, finances, health, and positive thinking. Can't hurt anyone.
My goal had been to get to South Africa this year and I don't know if that is going to happen or not. Seeing as how I'm trying to eliminate my old debt I think I should do that first and next year be able to go to South Africa with complete financial freedom! haha On the other hand I SOOOOO want to go and talk South Africa into the living right & positive thinking category very easily. We shall see. Maybe money will be amazingingly great... :) haha...
Anyway, I'm very excited about 2008 and am sure it will be a fantastic year!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Checked Out!
Dude I am so checked out! I'm at work and I cannot focus on anything. I don't have many kids on Friday mornings anyway, and they are only in school a half day today, so it's going to be a long day! Yes, I have stuff I need to do. But I'm so tired, and just checked out! I'm ready for a break from work. I'm ready to come home. Mostly I am just ready to be done for today!! SOOOOO Ready!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Our New Entertainment Center
So this was long overdue. This weekend I finally got an entertainment center. Before our stuff was just sitting on a coffee table and just looked sloppy!! I'm so happy! Next we need somewhere else to put the computer. This'll do for now though.
I Am Legend
So, I started my second job, and it's good. At the moment I'm just seeing one kid because I have to wait for more information on the other kids. I have to tell you though, I am not really looking forward to more kids ya know? Ah well. It won't kill me.
Ivan gave me my Christmas present Friday...well he was going to give it to me Friday and then I walked in while he was hiding it and so I got it a few hours early :) He got me a bike!! I've been wanting one and he got me a better one than I would have bought myself. So it's a beach cruiser---think old school looking bike with a big seat, fenders, and it's all pink. I'm so excited! When I got it I felt like I was 5 years old again. It was awesome.
Friday night we had a Christmas party at my coworkers house, Karen & Bob. Karen is a hearing impaired teacher that I share an office with and Bob is the school psychologist at my school. It was a good time. Our first adult party I guess. Bob, Karen, their kids, and a lot of the friends are musical, so they sang & played the guitar & drums all night. They were good too. It was a lot of fun.
Saturday morning I had to get up for practice. This week was the longest practice of the season before we taper down, 20 miles for the people doing the full marathon, and 10 miles for the people doing the half marathon. I didn't run, instead I hlped set up the fuel stations (orange slices, PB&J, gatorade) and cheer everyone else on. It was fun because it wasn't just our team, we practiced with the East Valley as well. I met the director for Team in Training here who also was the cycle coach for 6 years. She just about has me convinced to sign up for the century ride, which is a 100 mile bike ride. Eventually I'd like to do the century ride & a triathlon with them to earn the "triple crown" award. So, we'll see :)
All day Saturday Ivan was in a charity golf tournament (which his team placed 2nd by the way) so I went out to lunch with Jeff & his girlfriend Janice who was in town from Vegas. Then we went & saw "I Am Legend." Which I thought was awesome!!! It's weird because all the guys (Jeff, Johnathan & our neighbor Jared) didn't like it nearly as well as me & Janice did. Either way, it was good, and worth seeing. Not to mention, Will Smith is getting better & better looking the older he gets, and his body is outta control!!!
I'll be home in a week, on the 23rd!! YAY! See ya soon!
Ivan gave me my Christmas present Friday...well he was going to give it to me Friday and then I walked in while he was hiding it and so I got it a few hours early :) He got me a bike!! I've been wanting one and he got me a better one than I would have bought myself. So it's a beach cruiser---think old school looking bike with a big seat, fenders, and it's all pink. I'm so excited! When I got it I felt like I was 5 years old again. It was awesome.
Friday night we had a Christmas party at my coworkers house, Karen & Bob. Karen is a hearing impaired teacher that I share an office with and Bob is the school psychologist at my school. It was a good time. Our first adult party I guess. Bob, Karen, their kids, and a lot of the friends are musical, so they sang & played the guitar & drums all night. They were good too. It was a lot of fun.
Saturday morning I had to get up for practice. This week was the longest practice of the season before we taper down, 20 miles for the people doing the full marathon, and 10 miles for the people doing the half marathon. I didn't run, instead I hlped set up the fuel stations (orange slices, PB&J, gatorade) and cheer everyone else on. It was fun because it wasn't just our team, we practiced with the East Valley as well. I met the director for Team in Training here who also was the cycle coach for 6 years. She just about has me convinced to sign up for the century ride, which is a 100 mile bike ride. Eventually I'd like to do the century ride & a triathlon with them to earn the "triple crown" award. So, we'll see :)
All day Saturday Ivan was in a charity golf tournament (which his team placed 2nd by the way) so I went out to lunch with Jeff & his girlfriend Janice who was in town from Vegas. Then we went & saw "I Am Legend." Which I thought was awesome!!! It's weird because all the guys (Jeff, Johnathan & our neighbor Jared) didn't like it nearly as well as me & Janice did. Either way, it was good, and worth seeing. Not to mention, Will Smith is getting better & better looking the older he gets, and his body is outta control!!!
I'll be home in a week, on the 23rd!! YAY! See ya soon!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
New Tattoo!
Hey there! Been awhile I guess. Let's re-cap.
I'm starting my second job doing home therapy this week. Right now I'm starting with just two kids. I'm scared! These kids might be more severe that I've been working with, probably more work!, and having the parents there can be an added stress you know? Normally I don't care but when I'm getting to know a child then yes, I would rather work with them one on one to get to know them. Oh well. I will survive. And the money will be nice too.
I'll be home in 3 weeks! I can't believe Christmas is only 3 weeks away. It's gone soooo fast. Time is just flying.
Ivan & I went and looked at furniture so I think we might be buying our own before next year! (you know my furniture is provided right now through the travel company). It's pretty dang exciting actually.
And now the fun stuff. Holly came out to visit for the weekend. We had such a great time. It was so nice to have a girl around! And someone from home! Friday night we went out to dinner and then just drank here with Katie from downstairs. Saturday we went & got tattoos!!! It was a good time. I've wanted another one for like two years so I finally got it. It's another small one on my left wrist. The definition/description is:
"The home to the Akan is a special place. A home which has a fence around it is considered to be an ideal residence.The fence symbolically separates and secures the family from the outside. Because of the security and the protection that a fence affords, the symbol is also associated with the security and safety one finds in love."
I'm very happy with it. Holly's is pretty awesome. It's a good sized one but the picture makes it look bigger than it really is. So that was super fun.
That night we went out for eat & drinks at the Yard House, which as usually was flipping fabulous. The food was awesome and they make a bomb ass appletini!!!
After that we went to this bar in Surprise called Coyote Alley. We danced there all night. I have not danced in forever! It was so much fun and like old times.
This morning Holly had requested Jeff's french toast since I talked it up so much. (It is almost a religious experience I think...haha...I asked Holly if for her first time she would like to be along with the french toast :)
Then it was time for Holly to go. It was so good to have here here! And next time she will come for longer!!
So I guess that's it. Head over to my pics to check out the tats.
Later
Saturday, November 17, 2007
My Boys
So I ended up not going with Ivan to L.A. nor did I go to Vegas with Johnathan & Jeff. It just wasn't a good weekend for me to do either thing. I do however want to go to Vegas sometime in the near future. Ivan & I had already decided we wanted to go once we got our tax returns so we could do it right, although I suppose there is still a possibility of going before then.
So I was really looking forward to my time alone. This might sound crazy...but I really needed to clean the carpet! Yes I could have done this when the boys were here but it was easier with them gone. Plus when they are here I just chill with them instead of doing what I need to do. Plus, I don't really like cleaning with people just watching me when they could be helping!! Anyway, I feel so much better now that the carpet is clean :) And I've been listening to the radio station I want to listen to! Watching the TV I want to. Playing the Wii games I want to. I also went shopping, when I wanted to :) Ate lunch when & where I wanted to. Didn't have to consult with someone or think I should probably pick something up for anyone else! Then I went to the movies (yes you guessed it, when & what I wanted to!) I finally saw The Comebacks. Overall it was ok, but my main focus was on the audience scenes. Of course I didn't see us or anything but it was still cool. I also rented some movies that I want to see. So it's been good.
And now I'm ready for the boys to get home!! I have enjoyed myself, but now I miss them :) I've talked to Ivan a few times. He went out last night in Rancho Cucamonga, where we lived our first year in CA! I bet that was fun. I've talked to Johnathan several times--- he's super drunk, so every time he calls he tells me that repeatedly :) They are having a good time too. He keeps telling me I missed out... but they were doing this scavenger hunt, which I do bet was awesome, but you have to drink a ton in it and I really don't think I could hang! Really! Ah well, I will be going soon :)
Alrighty well I will get going. Gonna watch my movies ad the boys will be back tomorrow!!
So I was really looking forward to my time alone. This might sound crazy...but I really needed to clean the carpet! Yes I could have done this when the boys were here but it was easier with them gone. Plus when they are here I just chill with them instead of doing what I need to do. Plus, I don't really like cleaning with people just watching me when they could be helping!! Anyway, I feel so much better now that the carpet is clean :) And I've been listening to the radio station I want to listen to! Watching the TV I want to. Playing the Wii games I want to. I also went shopping, when I wanted to :) Ate lunch when & where I wanted to. Didn't have to consult with someone or think I should probably pick something up for anyone else! Then I went to the movies (yes you guessed it, when & what I wanted to!) I finally saw The Comebacks. Overall it was ok, but my main focus was on the audience scenes. Of course I didn't see us or anything but it was still cool. I also rented some movies that I want to see. So it's been good.
And now I'm ready for the boys to get home!! I have enjoyed myself, but now I miss them :) I've talked to Ivan a few times. He went out last night in Rancho Cucamonga, where we lived our first year in CA! I bet that was fun. I've talked to Johnathan several times--- he's super drunk, so every time he calls he tells me that repeatedly :) They are having a good time too. He keeps telling me I missed out... but they were doing this scavenger hunt, which I do bet was awesome, but you have to drink a ton in it and I really don't think I could hang! Really! Ah well, I will be going soon :)
Alrighty well I will get going. Gonna watch my movies ad the boys will be back tomorrow!!
Vegas, no Vegas, Vegas, No Vegas...
Hey all! So before I get to this coming weekend let me re-cap.
Last weekend we didn't do much really. I fell asleep at 8:30 Friday night. Which I think I needed, obviously. Saturday morning I had marathon practice. That is going ok too. Jeff made us his fantastic french toast that morning. Good God that stuff is amazing. That night he made ranch burgers (again, AMAZING!) and then people came over to hang out. But I had a headache and fell asleep at like 10:30. Sunday....nothing eventful again. I had Monday off work because of Veteran's Day. Went to breakfast with Jeff & the kids, then worked on my homework and played the Wii all day. Like I said, very uneventful.
So this coming weekend I have a decision to make. Ivan will be going to L.A. for a conference so I could go with him, hang out with Cali friends or just go to the beach or something while he's at the conference. That night one of our friends is having a pre-Thanksgiving party in Malibu so then we'd go to that and come home on Sunday.
OR, Jeff is seeing this girl in Vegas so he is going there this weekend and asked if Johnathan & I would like to go with him. At first I was all excited but now I'm starting to think it would be kinda nice to have the place to myself and get some things done while Ivan, Johnathan & Jeff are all out of town. Just me & the dogs. I dunno. I figure if Jeff keeps seeing this girl I will have plenty of opportunities to go to Vegas with a place to stay you know? Plus, they are all doing this scavenger hunt and they already have all the team members, so if I went I wouldn't even be doing that. I would be hanging out in a casino or something by myself. Which don't get me wrong, could be a ton of fun! But I'm thinking why not just wait and go again when we can all hang out you know? Plus I'd have to do something with the dogs. They would probably be okay for two nights by themselves but I would feel bad anyway.
I dunno. Obviously Vegas would be a ton of fun. And Ivan has some co-workers going with him to CA so I don't really wanna go if they are going just because I haven't met them before and I just would rather not.
So that's that. I'm going to be buying my plane ticket home for Christmas this week. I will be flying in on either the 22nd or 23rd and leaving back to AZ on Jan 2nd. I'm excited! Seems like it has been awhile I guess.
Alright, I need to make some scotcharoo's for bowling tonight. A friend of ours on another team always brings snacks and stuff and I promised I'd bring something this week so she is taking the week off. YUM!
Last weekend we didn't do much really. I fell asleep at 8:30 Friday night. Which I think I needed, obviously. Saturday morning I had marathon practice. That is going ok too. Jeff made us his fantastic french toast that morning. Good God that stuff is amazing. That night he made ranch burgers (again, AMAZING!) and then people came over to hang out. But I had a headache and fell asleep at like 10:30. Sunday....nothing eventful again. I had Monday off work because of Veteran's Day. Went to breakfast with Jeff & the kids, then worked on my homework and played the Wii all day. Like I said, very uneventful.
So this coming weekend I have a decision to make. Ivan will be going to L.A. for a conference so I could go with him, hang out with Cali friends or just go to the beach or something while he's at the conference. That night one of our friends is having a pre-Thanksgiving party in Malibu so then we'd go to that and come home on Sunday.
OR, Jeff is seeing this girl in Vegas so he is going there this weekend and asked if Johnathan & I would like to go with him. At first I was all excited but now I'm starting to think it would be kinda nice to have the place to myself and get some things done while Ivan, Johnathan & Jeff are all out of town. Just me & the dogs. I dunno. I figure if Jeff keeps seeing this girl I will have plenty of opportunities to go to Vegas with a place to stay you know? Plus, they are all doing this scavenger hunt and they already have all the team members, so if I went I wouldn't even be doing that. I would be hanging out in a casino or something by myself. Which don't get me wrong, could be a ton of fun! But I'm thinking why not just wait and go again when we can all hang out you know? Plus I'd have to do something with the dogs. They would probably be okay for two nights by themselves but I would feel bad anyway.
I dunno. Obviously Vegas would be a ton of fun. And Ivan has some co-workers going with him to CA so I don't really wanna go if they are going just because I haven't met them before and I just would rather not.
So that's that. I'm going to be buying my plane ticket home for Christmas this week. I will be flying in on either the 22nd or 23rd and leaving back to AZ on Jan 2nd. I'm excited! Seems like it has been awhile I guess.
Alright, I need to make some scotcharoo's for bowling tonight. A friend of ours on another team always brings snacks and stuff and I promised I'd bring something this week so she is taking the week off. YUM!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Picture Updates!
Here's some pictures of Charlie's haircut & the pumkpins we carved:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZLQ
The weekend before last we had a bunch of people over to party at that was a good time as always. Here are pics from that:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZKU
Saturday night we had a Halloween party with the usuals. It was a great time!! We made punch...it had 3 bottles of flavored Vodka in it, with orange juice and a splash of Sprite (YUM!) Here's pics:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZJY
Not much else going on. Enjoy the pictures!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZLQ
The weekend before last we had a bunch of people over to party at that was a good time as always. Here are pics from that:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZKU
Saturday night we had a Halloween party with the usuals. It was a great time!! We made punch...it had 3 bottles of flavored Vodka in it, with orange juice and a splash of Sprite (YUM!) Here's pics:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9IZMWbVw5ZJY
Not much else going on. Enjoy the pictures!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
This Week
Hey! So not much new going on lately. Chuck (oh yeah, we call Charlie Chuck most of the time now) got her first real haircut and it's adorable, and I love it! Let's see, last week seemed really busy but I can't think why right now. Tuesday night at bowling we won all our games!! That has never happened before. We have only won one game before that night so that was awesome. I got a turkey in the 10th frame too so that was cool...
Thursday night Jeff got hockey tickets through his school so him & his kids, Ivan, me, Johnathan & Katie all went to the Phoenix Coyotes hockey game. It was fun. I could really get into hockey I think because it's so fast paced and it's kinda cool to seem them fight all the time too! haha
Friday night all the neighbors came over which as usual was a great time. I'll post some pictures of that. Unfortunately I had to spend all day Saturday recovering. It was bad. I was in bed until about 2:30, moved to the couch but was still sick. Then last night me & Ivan, Johnathan & Katie all went out to eat. We rented "Fantastic 4" (the second one) and "1408." Which I was a little disappointed with but oh well.
Today it's like super windy here so we opened up all the windows in ours & Jeff's apartment and his door and our door, put the gate up at the top of our stairs and just let the dogs run back and forth. I sat on the patio between our apts. pretty much all day, the guys were back and forth watching football. It was fun. Here in a minute we're gonna carve pumpkins. I'll post pics of that too.
So that's about it. Talk soon!
Thursday night Jeff got hockey tickets through his school so him & his kids, Ivan, me, Johnathan & Katie all went to the Phoenix Coyotes hockey game. It was fun. I could really get into hockey I think because it's so fast paced and it's kinda cool to seem them fight all the time too! haha
Friday night all the neighbors came over which as usual was a great time. I'll post some pictures of that. Unfortunately I had to spend all day Saturday recovering. It was bad. I was in bed until about 2:30, moved to the couch but was still sick. Then last night me & Ivan, Johnathan & Katie all went out to eat. We rented "Fantastic 4" (the second one) and "1408." Which I was a little disappointed with but oh well.
Today it's like super windy here so we opened up all the windows in ours & Jeff's apartment and his door and our door, put the gate up at the top of our stairs and just let the dogs run back and forth. I sat on the patio between our apts. pretty much all day, the guys were back and forth watching football. It was fun. Here in a minute we're gonna carve pumpkins. I'll post pics of that too.
So that's about it. Talk soon!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Hola!
Hey! So, another new & exciting venture. I will be starting a second job here in the next couple of weeks. I'll be contracting through a company providing therapy to children in their homes. The company will send me info about a child and then I will basically call up the parents and set up a time to come see them. I'm pretty excited about it. At first I was like...why are you doing this to yourself? Now is really not the time to get a second job, but I really don't see it so much as a job, although it does pay very well, which is a bonus. I think it will be fun and it will be so nice to see kids in their homes. Working in the schools you only see so much of what the kid's life is about, you don't get the opportunity to have contact with the parents sometimes but like once a year, and sometimes the relationship is hard anyway because the parents aren't always happy with the school system. I've always been jealous of home therapists when we're all sitting in meetings together because the parents always love them more! haha I think I'll get more of a chance to really do what I want to do with a little less restraints and things. We'll see, who knows, I might be complaining about it soon! But I will be starting slow and only picking up one or two kids, which is just a couple hours a week. Hopefully it'll be good. Plus I'm just trying to plan ahead to what I'm going to do this summer, and so I will be able to pick up more kids then and still have a lot of time to myself.
What else...tomorrow is Ivan's birthday!! The big 2-5. He's flying home for a long weekend to celebrate and go to Illinois College's homecoming. He hasn't been home since last summer so he's due for a visit. It'll be weird to have him gone but I have a lot to do so it's probably for the best.
Team In Training is going well. I have 14 mentees now!! So that's fun. Each week I just send them an email or phone call to see how things are going. The thing that is really different from my team in L.A is that there are a lot of people here who don't come to practices, they just train on their own. I'm really trying to get them out to practice though because to me that's the best part, obviously aside from curing cancer :)
What else...class is good. My 4th class just started this week. It goes so fast. They're a lot of work though but I've got it down to more of a pattern now so it's easier and I know what to expect. Every week there is typically an individual paper due and in each 5 week class there is also usually 2-3 team projects. I do great working with the team, which at first I didn't like the team projects, but I always leave my individual stuff to the last minute and scramble. Oh well.
I still haven't heard anything about a refugee family because there are more volunteers than refugees available. Which at this point is FINE! I'm thinking even if they do call I will have to tell them to move me to the bottom of the list until TNT is done in January. I know my limits! I really want to do it but I'll wait.
I guess not much else to say. Still having an awesome time here and everything. I had Monday off work so Sunday night was a drunken fest with our neighbor who also had Monday off for Columbus day. We were up until 4:30 a.m drinking and playing the Wii---we decided we better stop when we heard Ivan getting up for work! haha Good times though.
Oh yeah, reading a new, fabulous book-- it was featured on Oprah-- "Eat Pray Love." I love it!!!!!!!! Go get it.
What else...tomorrow is Ivan's birthday!! The big 2-5. He's flying home for a long weekend to celebrate and go to Illinois College's homecoming. He hasn't been home since last summer so he's due for a visit. It'll be weird to have him gone but I have a lot to do so it's probably for the best.
Team In Training is going well. I have 14 mentees now!! So that's fun. Each week I just send them an email or phone call to see how things are going. The thing that is really different from my team in L.A is that there are a lot of people here who don't come to practices, they just train on their own. I'm really trying to get them out to practice though because to me that's the best part, obviously aside from curing cancer :)
What else...class is good. My 4th class just started this week. It goes so fast. They're a lot of work though but I've got it down to more of a pattern now so it's easier and I know what to expect. Every week there is typically an individual paper due and in each 5 week class there is also usually 2-3 team projects. I do great working with the team, which at first I didn't like the team projects, but I always leave my individual stuff to the last minute and scramble. Oh well.
I still haven't heard anything about a refugee family because there are more volunteers than refugees available. Which at this point is FINE! I'm thinking even if they do call I will have to tell them to move me to the bottom of the list until TNT is done in January. I know my limits! I really want to do it but I'll wait.
I guess not much else to say. Still having an awesome time here and everything. I had Monday off work so Sunday night was a drunken fest with our neighbor who also had Monday off for Columbus day. We were up until 4:30 a.m drinking and playing the Wii---we decided we better stop when we heard Ivan getting up for work! haha Good times though.
Oh yeah, reading a new, fabulous book-- it was featured on Oprah-- "Eat Pray Love." I love it!!!!!!!! Go get it.
Monday, October 01, 2007
My poor car...
Remember how I said it was making a very unhealthy noise? Well then last week it just wouldn't start a few different times I tried. Turns out my car is a lot sicker than I thought. I took it in on Friday and the guy called me with a list a mile long of things my car needed. He prioritized it for me because there is just no way I could afford everything. So, last week I got a new starter and belts (hefty chunk-o-change!) Friday we're going back for new breaks and break fluid (yet another, although not quite as hefty-chunk-o-change). And then there will be a list of "small" things that I can survive without but need to be done. Poor thing. Oh yeah, poor me too :) And poor Lucy! She needs her shots and they keep getting pushed off because random expenses like this keep coming up. Ah well. Soon, I see the light very soon...although if you ever feel like donating to a worthy cause (my car & Lucy's health :) feel free! haha We were joking that we should have a kegger or something to raise money for my car...but we don't know enough people to really make that worth it, but it would be a dang good time. I should be happy though because my car is a '96 and I've never had to put any money into it except tires and oil changes. So hopefully after this it'll last me as long as I need it to. Which would be...hmmm...maybe until '09 when the Prius comes out that gets 99 miles per gallon!! Does everyone get as excited about good gas mileage as I do? Probably not.
What else...this weekend we didn't do much, and you can expect to hear that for awhile until the car expenses are taken care of :) Jeff & the kids came over and made us french toast & bacon. Can I just say this was the best french toast I've ever had in my life!! I'm not even a fan of french toast really but this was heavenly. So good. Last night he shared stroganoff with us too, yum! Jeff says he likes to cook for people, and well, we like to eat...so it all works out. We agreed he should just give us a grocery list and then he can just make dinner every night. Totally fine with me. While we're on the subject, when we grilled out with him a few weeks ago, he made ranch burgers-- I guess you just put a packet of ranch mixed in with the hamburger...unbelievable! Try it.
So aside from food...not much else to say I guess. Just keeping busy with TNT and school work. I'm coming into the last week of my 3rd class. They're going fast!! YAY!
What else...this weekend we didn't do much, and you can expect to hear that for awhile until the car expenses are taken care of :) Jeff & the kids came over and made us french toast & bacon. Can I just say this was the best french toast I've ever had in my life!! I'm not even a fan of french toast really but this was heavenly. So good. Last night he shared stroganoff with us too, yum! Jeff says he likes to cook for people, and well, we like to eat...so it all works out. We agreed he should just give us a grocery list and then he can just make dinner every night. Totally fine with me. While we're on the subject, when we grilled out with him a few weeks ago, he made ranch burgers-- I guess you just put a packet of ranch mixed in with the hamburger...unbelievable! Try it.
So aside from food...not much else to say I guess. Just keeping busy with TNT and school work. I'm coming into the last week of my 3rd class. They're going fast!! YAY!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Not Much Up
Hey there! Not much to say I guess but I felt like I should say something...um, my car is making some very weird noises. It has been for awhile and today they have multiplied a lot...I think it has something to do with my breaks. Whatever it is it's very unhealthy sounding.
I finally got some mentees with TNT. I was supposed to just get any new people, well then something fell through with one of the other mentors so I just got all of her mentees. I'm excited though. We went to a TNT fundraiser the other night-- me, Ivan, Johnathan & our neighbors Katie & Jeff. (Also our bowling team) I really need to get some pics up of these people so you all can put a face with a name. Anyway, it was a poker fundraiser, Jeff won. He's like a poker fiend or something.
The weather this last few days has been amazing. Only the low 90's, which actually feels cool. Kinda like fall weather really. It's amazing I guess how fast your body adjusts to the heat. The other day I was going to take the dogs to the park but I wondered if it was too hot out, Ivan said "It's only 101" I was like oh, well let's go then...at home we'd have died!
Speaking of Ivan, he's involved in a new business venture with his mom. It's something called "Your Travel Business." Basically if you buy your plane tickets, book hotels, anything like that, through his website he makes money off it, and the prices are pretty much the same as Travelocity. So keep that in mind if you're ever booking in the future. The website is www.ytb.com/nicholsi
Alrighty, well I guess that's all. Talk to you later
I finally got some mentees with TNT. I was supposed to just get any new people, well then something fell through with one of the other mentors so I just got all of her mentees. I'm excited though. We went to a TNT fundraiser the other night-- me, Ivan, Johnathan & our neighbors Katie & Jeff. (Also our bowling team) I really need to get some pics up of these people so you all can put a face with a name. Anyway, it was a poker fundraiser, Jeff won. He's like a poker fiend or something.
The weather this last few days has been amazing. Only the low 90's, which actually feels cool. Kinda like fall weather really. It's amazing I guess how fast your body adjusts to the heat. The other day I was going to take the dogs to the park but I wondered if it was too hot out, Ivan said "It's only 101" I was like oh, well let's go then...at home we'd have died!
Speaking of Ivan, he's involved in a new business venture with his mom. It's something called "Your Travel Business." Basically if you buy your plane tickets, book hotels, anything like that, through his website he makes money off it, and the prices are pretty much the same as Travelocity. So keep that in mind if you're ever booking in the future. The website is www.ytb.com/nicholsi
Alrighty, well I guess that's all. Talk to you later
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