Livingroomofmyheart

Eating Healthy

2012-02-14T11:35:00.001-08:00

So much for eating healthy! I'm the sickest I've been in years! LOL. Caught some dang cold so my head is pounding, nose running, throat sore, cough cough cough.

BUT -- that does not affect the fact that I made the MOST amazing spaghetti sauce the other night! Even David had seconds and thirds.

Chopped up a sweet onion, and 3 anaheim peppers and one green pepper. 8 cloves of garlic. Sauteed that in a tiny bit of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Add chopped tomatoes. And half a jar of organic garlic spaghetti sauce that I had previously used for pizza sauce when I made pizza.

Add a tiny bit of cooked ground beef and some spices. Served over spaghetti with some whole wheat garlic toast. and a salad with ranch.

YUMMERS.

MVP (More Veggies Please!)

2012-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I made a chicken vegetable soup. Chopped up onions, green pepper, red pepper, jalapeno, serranos, yellow chili peppers, 7 cloves of garlic, carrots, brocolli, tomatoes and sauteed them in some white wine that I like to use when I make brocolli soup. Simi Sauvignon Blanc I think is what it was called. Just use about a cup of that.

And I bought some diced chicken. Threw that in there. Added water, chicken bouillon, Sazon con Azafron, cumin, granulated garlic, chili powder, couple shakes of Tapatio sauce, salt, pepper. Let it simmer for half an hour. Served it with some crescent rolls.

It was yummy! And not spicy. I didn't have cheese, but it would have been good with some grated cheese on top. Made a huge pot, so there was a lot leftover and I will eat some today for lunch. The only thing missing, and we will put it in when we make this again, is some cabbage. Shredded cabbage would have been really good.

I'm enjoying adding more veggies to my meals. Even David is eating them. That makes me very happy.

After dinner George and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood. My pedometer says I have walked 17 miles since Feb 1. Pretty good considering I have a desk job and sit on my butt all day.

Another Amazing Recipe

2012-02-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Home made fish soup. I didn't use a recipe and to be honest, I don't remember exactly what I put in this, but oh my golly it was sooooo good!

I took a couple of large sweet onions and a couple of tomatoes and chopped them up. Also a couple of jalapenos and serrano chilies. I sauteed them in a tablespoonful of oil and then threw in about 5 or 6 cloves of freshly minced garlic. Then I put in 4 cups of chicken broth. And a couple cups of water.

I added some lemon pepper seasoning, salt, cumin, chili powder, and granulated garlic. Let it simmer about 10 minutes. Then I threw in a bag of defrosted "seafood mix" (it's in the frozen seafood section of my grocer and has little squids and all kinds of seafood bits in it.) and some cut up chunks of salmon, rockfish, tilapia. Let that cook about 20 minutes. Then I threw in a whole bag of cooked shrimp (I took the tails off first) and simmered that about 5 or 10 minutes.

We ate it with crackers crushed up in it and it was soooooooooooooooooo good.

It's even better the next day and we had it with some garlic toast.

I just finished it up for lunch today. Oh so yum. But I did have to pick out the squid bodies cuz those just didn't look appetizing. (which you can see if you look at the picture above of the seafood mix and see the little legs.... ) I cooked them... I'm sure it gives great flavor, but if one landed in my bowl.... it went to the dump. LOL.

2012-02-08T11:27:00.001-08:00

My hubby is a sweetheart and he cleans the house for me. But... sometimes..... I don't know how his mind was working. Yesterday is an example.

I came home and he had taken pots and pans OUT of the cupboard and put them ON the stove. My canisters, that go against the EDGE of the counter... were set in a line down the MIDDLE of the island/counter.

A birthday cake decorative platter/stand had a bowl of vegetables on it.

My blender, which goes INSIDE a special spot to hide it, was OUTSIDE of the special spot.

Knives were in the wrong place.

The drawers were all "organized" but things were put in sideways......

I'm so picky about my kitchen. My kitchen....is MY domain. I'm the type that is like "HEY don't you even THINK about touching my stuff here."

I kinda, sorta, got mad.

I didn't yell at the dear man though. I actually could not find words. All I said was "Oh no no no no... No no NO NO NO NO! Uh uh. NO. Nope. NO. NO!!!"

And within 20 minutes I had put everything BACK.

In the RIGHT spots.

I love him dearly.... but what WAS he thinking?????

Yum

2012-02-07T09:14:00.001-08:00

George and I have been trying to eat healthier. Eat less meat, and more grains and veggies. Less processed food and more whole foods. I made quinoa and black beans last night and we both LOVED it.

Here is the recipe:

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oil.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat and then cook the onion, pepper and garlic for about 5 minutes or till softened.

Add 3/4 cups quinoa and 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth. 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then add 1 cup of frozen corn. And a 1/2 cup cilantro. (I don't like fresh cilantro that much, so I used a shake of dried cilantro).

Cover and cook another five minutes on low.

Drain and rinse two cans of black beans with jalapenos. Add to the quinoa mixture and warm through for about 3 minutes.

Very good. Very healthy. Quinoa is a complete protein.

Not too old to play with Barbie....

2012-01-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

I bought this doll. And some pretty dresses.

Why?

Because I felt like it.

I loved Barbie when I was little. I played with her, dressing her up and doing her hair til I was a TEEN.

My granddaughters in Texas LOVE Barbie and I gave them a bunch of clothes for Christmas.

Airam had this doll and I fell in love with her. She's so pretty! And she's not blonde! So I found it and I ordered her and now I have her!

Wait til George comes home and finds his wife has started playing with dolls. LOL.

I miss my mom.

2012-01-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Jan 25 and it will be 5 years since I lost my favorite person in the whole world.

Mom was a quiet lady with a good heart who never wanted to hurt a fly. Though she would shoot squirrels if they got in her bird feeder.

She was a wonderful cook and for many years she did all kinds of crafts like embroidery, knitting, latch hook rugs, etc. I have several of her table cloths. I have passed one down to Karin and one to Bryttan.

Mom had a great sense of humor. We laughed a lot together. I miss her so very, very, VERY much and today..... it really hurts to think it's been FIVE whole years.

I used to call her every single day. Or close to it. For years and years. Then she got put on oxygen and it was hard for her to talk, so I couldn't call her as often and that was very hard on me.

Hardest of all was seeing her in a nursing home. The last Christmas we spent together in Vermont, she was at Eden Park. Donna, Megan, Katy and I (and Megan's girls) went to sing Christmas Carols to the old people (and mom). Mom was too distraught to really enjoy it.

And then exactly one month later she passed away.

Mom, I love you so very much and I miss you with all my heart. I hope and pray that you are in a place of peace and happiness. Until we meet again..... XXXOOO

Things that must go....

2012-01-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

When I was a young girl and I was entering that wonderful world of puberty, my mom sat me down and had a very frank talk with me regarding the proper way to dispose of sanitary products. She said it was really disgusting when women would just dump their dirty napkins on the floor, or the back of the toilet, or in the garbage for all the world to see.

The PROPER thing, she told me, was to discreetly wrap it up in toilet tissue and dispose of it in the garbage. That way nobody sees the ick.

I think parents today do NOT teach their young ladies this simple thing. Because I have seen more used pads in airports and public restrooms than I care to see in my life.

Nobody wants to see that! So why can't they figure it out how to be clean? Anyhow... that is one thing that must go.

Another thing that must go is people switching lanes while driving without signaling. If there are no cars around... fine. Don't signal. But when you are going to cut RIGHT IN FRONT of me... please signal.

Another thing that must go. Waiters and Waitresses in mexican restaurants that speak spanish to my husband and english to me. Just because he is mexican doesn't mean he knows spanish. (He does, but it is not his first language) and just because I'm white doesn't mean I don't know spanish. I DO!! I hate it that they just automatically do that.

Presidential campaign mudslinging must go! I do NOT care about listening to that crap. A presidential campaign should NOT be reality tv. I want to hear your ideas on exactly HOW you plan to get the problems fixed. What problems you SEE need to be fixed, and your plan on how long it will take and the steps needed. I don't care one guy has money in the Cayman islands. I don't care if somebody else cheated on his wife. I don't care if you are Catholic, Mormon, Presbyterian, or Jehovah Witness.

And I do NOT want these presidential debates to be all about bad-mouthing your opponents. My gosh people!!! GROW UP! This is not for entertainment. It's for informing the public about the next potential leader of the country.

Anyhow. I'm done ranting. I feel infinitely better now.

3 generations

2012-01-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

I wish my mom was also in the picture. But I know she was there in spirit. I felt her at the blessing.

Her and Oma, and Grandpa Kramer... and many others.

How special little Adelyn is!!

woo hoo!

2011-12-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

My kids and I celebrated our Christmas last Friday. (people heading out of town etc... makes us celebrate early). I got a Kindle fire from them!

I'm LOVING it! I'm playing on it all the time! Even take it to bed with me at night and play Angry Birds until I can't see straight! ha ha ha!

It was so nice of everybody to give me that. I absolutely never thought I would want something like that. But I just love it. All kinds of fun little games and time wasters! LOL.

I want to bring it to work, but I will never get any work done if I do. I'm sure I'll play games all day. ha ha ha.

Inversion

2011-12-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

Utah is going through another one of its yucky weather things. We don't see the sun. The air quality sucks. No snow on the ground. Blech.

It's depressing. Day after day.

I hate snow, but I would actually LOVE to see the white stuff falling just to clear the gunk out of the air!

My poor friend has asthma and has had to use her inhaler a couple times a DAY for the past week. She usually only needs to use it once a week.

So, I post a picture of the sun. Because even though we can't see it.... I know it's there. Up there. Up high. In the sky. Somewhere hidden behind the smog.

Prove me wrong!

Not a fun day

2011-12-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Overslept. On my way to work David calls me to say his car is on fire and he can't get hold of his dad.

I freak out.

I try to find him and can't. Good thing is that I did not see a car fire, so hopefully that meant something positive.

Continuing on to work I come soooo close to a head on collision by some idiot who cut in front of me at Eisenhower on Redwood Road. SO close. I closed my eyes because I was sure we were going to hit.

thankfully we did not.

At work. The copier (Big Rosy) is having a PMS day. (Big Rosy is the name of the machine... not a person). She ran out of paper and it is very hard to load her. She takes big heavy rolls of paper. So I get it in, and then the machine won't load it. So I have to unload, re-load. Unload, re-load. Unload, re-load. Over and over. Finally get the paper in but then I hit the wrong button and told it that it was the wrong paper so when I made my copy it printed soooooo slow it took about 20 minutes to print one sheet.

Then the ink ran out.

Then I unloaded the paper and re-loaded it yet again so I could correct the type. Then made my copies which for some reason turned out HORRIBLE. It looked like someone walked all over them with dirty feet. Barely legible.

So I cleaned the machine, and tried again. Didn't make a difference. The prints suck.

Meanwhile.... I have a stack of drawings on the desk that need to be released, but I hate to do it when the machine will make horrible copies. And every ten minutes somebody else wants something so I go off in a different direction. The drawings are still waiting to be released and it's almost 1pm now.

Gotta change my mojo somehow.

Totally sweet

2011-12-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

This is my early Christmas present. My grandbaby. I love watching her grow. She changes everytime I see her. She is just a doll.

Absolute perfection in every single detail of her.

She has the most incredibly long, dainty fingers that I have ever seen. I need to make a cast of her hand before that changes.

Why? Why is this happening?

2011-11-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

A man in my town was just arrested for child porn. This man is a member of my faith. This man was a scout master. And they found hundreds of images on his computer of children around the age of 10 being molested.

Talk about a betrayal of trust!! This just makes me SICK. If one of my children had been in his charge.... I would be beside myself with worry that he had harmed one of MINE.

What is going on with society that people are so depraved these days? Why are people defiling our innocent children?

Why are people so sick and degenerate? Why are people into weird, perverted awful things these days?

Or has it always been this way? Since the beginning of time? It's talked about in the scriptures.

My heart breaks for the little children.

A wee bit of Christmas humor for the day.....

2011-11-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

This takes the cake!

2011-11-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

I read this article today and it makes me SO angry! Why don't people have common sense anymore? What was Safeway thinking? This poor family just moved to Honolulu... they are tired, they are hungry, they are weary, they are lost.... Mom is pregnant. That combination would make anybody forgetful. I have opened up a water, or a soda in the store.... drank it as I shopped, with the full intention of paying for it at the counter, and sometimes forget until the cashier finishes ringing me up and then I say "OH.. whoops, wait... did you get this?"

PLUS this pregnant mom is a military person! You know darn well she is not trying to steal a sandwich!! Come on!!

The store should have let this couple pay for it. But it took FOUR hours for the cops to show up? And they take the daughter AWAY? And they make the parents go to the police station in SEPARATE CARS???

Oh this whole thing burns me. It just gets my blood boiling. I am so angry....

I have choice words I would love to say... but being a christian woman... I can't say it.

Yes I am.

2011-10-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

I knew that I would be excited to have a grandbaby. But I wasn't prepared for the enormous emotional outpouring my heart would have. I love this little sweetheart soooo much!!!

I held her for an hour and just looked at her... her little head, and ears, and fingers, and feet, and toes, and knees, and nose, and rosebud mouth... and she is so perfectly perfect in every way.

I wanted to just inhale her. Just..... capture that moment in time and hold it forever. I haven't seen her for a couple days and it feels like forever. I know she is going to look different already! Babies change so fast.

I'm making chicken pillows to take to the new parents tomorrow. They may already have dinner coming in, but chicken pillows heat up easily so I will just let them have them whenever.

I can't wait to see this sweetie again. I wish they didn't live so far away. Now I know how my mom felt.... however, I am lucky in that they are only 20 minutes away.... and my mom was clear across the country!! I should stop whining.

Tomorrow is my hubby's bday. He will be 51. Hopefully he will be HOME with ME in another week. Let's keep fingers crossed. I miss him. I miss the companionship.

I wish I was rich. I want to help so many people out who are having problems.... health problems, car problems, bill problems, trip problems.... I know so many... and I wish I could just hand over thousands of dollars to everybody.

Guess I need to start "attracting" abundance. I totally believe in "The Secret" and the law of attraction. I absolutely believe it and I found references to that exact thing in the scriptures. Thought and action.... Thought and attraction.... powerful things.

Well, time to attract a clean house. :-)

I'm a GRANDMA!!

2011-10-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

After much anticipation.... our little angel arrived yesterday. She was due Oct. 20 but they induced her mommy yesterday (Oct. 25) and after 6 hours she came to earth!!

6 pounds 11 oz of sweetness. Oh this baby is so precious. I'm going to LOVE being a grandma.

She still doesn't have a name yet.

Mommy and Daddy were tired but very happy. Mommy had a pretty intense labor. Induced labors are hard. I ought to know... two out of my four were induced.

Anyhow.... I'm ecstatic. I can't wait till my other "daughter" gets to have the same experience. I'm really going to love being surrounded by little babies/kids.

Whether they are adopted, natural, or step grandbabies.... I love em all the same!

Look Mom!

2011-08-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first time I EVER went to the dentist and had them say "No cavities. Your gums are healthy and you have a very clean mouth. Keep doing what you're doing."

What am I doing???? I don't know! The only thing I can figure out is that I have cut waaaaaay down on eating sugar. I hardly eat it anymore. \

I also use Listerine. But I still don't floss my teeth. EVER. Yet they said it looked like I was a "good flosser".

Ha... I fooled them!! LOL

I'm so glad to get a good report though. Yay.

I figure the reason I have no cavities is because pretty much all of my teeth are FAKE! LOL. Crowns and veneers make up 90% of my teeth. LOL.

But a couple years ago they told me I had gum disease so it's nice to know that is gone.

Hush Little Baby......

2011-08-16T15:45:00.001-07:00

I stopped at the grocery store tonight to pick up a couple things on my way home from work. When I left the store an elderly man and woman were standing in front of the automatic doors looking at something on the ground. When I exited the store, I saw a little bird twirling around in circles and sqwacking like it was in extreme pain. (almost sounded like me when I herniated my disc).

The man seemed impatient to get in the store and didn't give a fig about the bird. The woman, however, seemed very concerned but didn't know what to do for it.

"Do you know what to do for the poor thing?" she asked me, "should I pick it up?"

I said, "He will probably be ok in a bit. Probably just winded."

I walked to the car and I could feel my mom (who loved birds so much, her casket had them embroidered inside) tell me "Michelle, you go back right now and pick up that bird and hold it for a few minutes!"

So......... I put my bag and purse in the car and walked back to where the lady was still looking at the bird. She had a Kleenex in her hand but she wasn't sure how to pick the thing up. It now looked like it had a broken leg because it couldn't stand up at all.

I have held many a bird that managed to conk itself silly on my mom's windows so I knew how to do it.

I swooped it up in my hands and began to talk very softly to it. The poor thing was absolutely terrified and in pain... and it did NOT want to settle down at all. Still I cooed softly to it, and prayed a little prayer that it could be well enough to fly.

It managed to wriggle out of my grasp and flew about 2 feet and then landed right in front of the automatic doors which were opening... and the door smacked it and then the person coming out almost stepped on the poor thing!

It rolled itself into a corner and calmed down a little bit.

I couldn't reach it because I couldn't bend (herniated disk and all).

I thought about leaving.... but felt prompted again to give it another try.

Just then the poor thing started sqwacking up a storm again.... oh it sounded so pitiful like it was either screaming in pain or screaming for help. It rolled towards me and I gently picked him up again.

The old lady had come out with the store manager who had a box in her hands. The lady wanted them to call the Humane Society, but the manager and I knew that they would do nothing for this poor little bird unless it was a rare bird or exotic or something.

I held the bird a few more minutes, praying for it to be ok, and suddenly I could feel not one, but BOTH little legs kicking at me inside my hands. I told the old lady and the manager that I thought it would be ok.... but that it needed to be let loose where it wasn't so busy.

The manager said she would take it to the back of the store where there wasn't anybody, so I put Arthur (he looked like an Arthur) in the box.

As I walked back to my car, I didn't know if I helped the bird at all, but I knew Mom was happy I had at least tried.

Big Owie

2011-08-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

If you have never experienced the pain of sciatica or a ruptured, herniated disc... consider yourself lucky. It is PAINFUL. Worse than the neck pain I had from my whiplash. Worse than childbirth. It is an unrelenting pain that cannot be relieved no matter what position you get in. Its a stabbing, searing, horrible pain that shoots down the nerve over and over and over.

That's what I'm dealing with right now. George and I went on vacation to Vermont last week with high hopes of painting my dad's house, and cleaning the inside. On our third day there, I was picking up huge bags of trash to carry out and my back tweaked and it hurt. I thought "Oh, I just have pulled a muscle". But then I sat down on the floor to clean a bottom shelf and immediately I was seized by horrific pain. It took my breath away. And then... I couldn't get up. I couldn't move. All I could do was scream "OW OW OW!!!"

My sister came over to the house to help that day and she had me lay on the couch and put ice on it. Gave me 800mg Advil. She thought I should go to the hospital and get it looked at and I know she was right but I kept hoping it would "go away" and get better.

I couldn't even drive back to the hotel. George had to. I could not sleep at all the whole night because no matter what position I tried, sitting, standing, laying, propping pillows, every position hurt HORRIBLY. I cried all night. I knew that I must have done something very wrong to my back to hurt that bad.

The next morning I had George take me to the emergency room in Brattleboro. They gave me pain medication and told me I had "sprained" my back and should go see my doctor when I get home.

I came home and it didn't get better. So Monday I went to Dr. Byrd who is my pain doctor for my neck. He cured my neck pain. He sent me for an MRI. The results showed I have a herniated disc and another one that is bulging and ready to rupture.

So... it wasn't all in my head.

And it wasn't a SPRAIN either.

Tomorrow I go in and get an epidural injection of steroids in my L4 L5 area of the spine. I hope it will help. When I got the epidural for my neck it hurt worse than the everyday pain for about two weeks and I was sorry I did it, but then it got better. I hope this one works. I missed half a week of work this week and i don't have anymore sick leave.

So........ anyhow.......... that is that. I want physical therapy once this gets better. I need it. I have to build up the muscles so this doesn't happen again.

The older we are.... the faster time flies!

2011-07-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've been reading letters that I wrote to Karin when I was pregnant with her, and when she was a baby. It's been fun, it's been emotional... it's been a wake up call that time does not slow down... it speeds up!

I remember how grown up I thought I was back then. Looking back now, I realize I was just a baby myself at age 21!!

I had no idea then, how my life would be NOW. And frankly.... I regret a lot of choices I made. I do wish I could turn back the clock and get a "do-over" in some areas.

But, when it comes down to it.... I like the person I AM... I'm a GOOD person. That is what counts.

I have many blessings. I have people who love me. I have a lot of love in my heart for a lot of people. I'm content with that.

We can't change the past. But we can create a future. It's all up to us.

I'm the "older generation" now....

2011-07-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Seems like only yesterday that I was the young mom with the 4 kids, and my sister was the "slightly older" mom with her 7 kids.... and we were the ones in our "prime".

Now... our kids are having kids... and we have become the GRANDMAs and the OLDER generation.

So how come I don't feel that old?

Don't get me wrong....I definitely ain't no spring chicken. But I am not ready to settle down in a rocking chair on the porch either.

I remember when all of these kids came into the world. I watched em grow up.

It's scary to me that I am now the "grandma" generation. It's exciting too, but it's scary.

So many things can go wrong with our bodies. I regret not taking better care of myself when I was younger.

Boooy do I regret it.

Candid shots... lol

2011-07-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

Not easy trying to get 22 people to sit still and pose for photos.

This was pre-pose.... I'm sure when they all did the "Smile and say Cheese" it came out better.

Family Reunions

2011-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

It has been years since my sister had all her children, their spouses, and the grandkids together in one place. Last night it happened (Well, one child was missing but he landed in the state during the party). I had a blast seeing my nieces and nephew and their spouses and children all gathered together. WOW. I remember when the Kramer clan was like that. I was a parent and my kids were small. NOW I am the OLDER generation... the GRANDMA generation!!! It was sobering. But way fun.

They had a zebra pinata for the little kids to hit. Bless her heart, Lily ran off and started crying. When Katy went and asked her what was wrong, Lily said she "didn't want to hurt the zebra". Is that just one of the sweetest things???? These kids were sooooo cute and they all got along so well. It was so sweet.

I can't wait for Karin to have her baby. I am just itching to be grandma with a little one I can actually hold, and love, and cuddle. I may have to fight the other grandma's for space.... but I will! I remember when my Karin was in my tummy, and how I wrote letters to her throughout my pregnancy... and I remember how spiritual it was to give birth to her.... and how much I loved and adored that child from the moment she was placed in my arms.....

Oh, to turn back the clock.....

I'm happy to be in this phase of my life. It's scary as can be though.... I realize I am closer to the grave than ever.... and if I don't take better care of myself I will REALLY be IN the grave. But I am so proud of my children. Every single one has turned out to be an amazing, awesome, wonderful, responsible person. I am so pleased and so proud of each one of them.

And I adore my son-in-law and my daughter-in-law. I adore my step-daughter Monica. I love my grandkids.

I am blessed. Extremely, wonderfully, awesomely blessed.

Late night ramblings

2011-06-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

In 2 months I will get to take my hubby home to meet my dad. And we will paint dad's house and fix stuff up and clean, and do whatever dad wants.

I'm excited to be able to do it.

The trip is going to cost a small fortune..... but it is worth it. Dad is getting on in years and you just never know when a visit might be "the last".

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I will tell him that we are coming. George has already gotten the time off approved. I have put in my request. Hopefully it gets approved! LOL. Maybe I better wait a few days before I make reservations. Just to be sure.

Today was a LAZY day for me. I did do a little housework, but I slept in late. I took a nap, and I have played "Bejeweled" almost ALL day. Shame on me.

It's 11:30 pm so I better head off to bed quick.

My biggest regret today is I did NOT get in my exercise. I totally planned to do it. But I didn't. So tomorrow I better do twice as much.

:-)

I'm not as sweet as I used to be.....

2011-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

....haven't had any sugar for 5 days. That is truly amazing for me because I am a sugar ADDICT.

I have learned that a low-carb diet really helps me control my sugar cravings. No other food plan does. I've had more energy this week. I even EXCERCISED! Now that is completely amazing. And I didn't hurt all over the next day.

So, I'm going to stick with it. I hope.

Musings....

2011-06-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

I stole this pic from Bryttan and Michael. They took it last weekend while camping. I think it's a COOL picture.

So, not much to blog about today. Work is deadly quiet. I've been using the time to work on my calling. I'm doing the print-outs of the monthly Visiting Teaching messages for all the ladies at church.

I complained (often) that the existing ones for the past few years are UGLY and plain. Well... if you complain enough you get called to do the job yourself. LOL.

It's harder than I expected! LOL

I'm back on a low carb diet. Those work best for me. I get a nice amount of lean meats, and lots of veggies and salad. Plus I can use olive oil. And it makes my cravings for sugar completely manageable.

I had fajitas today for lunch at La Hacienda. I ate all the meat, peppers, onions, mushroom, guacamole, lettuce. I did not touch the tortillas, rice, sour cream, beans.

I am completely satisfied and I didn't miss the stuff I didn't eat.

I've lost 3 pounds so far, so it's working.

George and I have a deal. I am going to lose weight and he is going to GAIN weight. I can't believe how awful and skinny he was when he came home over Memorial Day. Wow. He looked horrible.

I've had a really amazing Black Magic Chocolate cake sitting on my counter for 4 days. I haven't touched it. (well, I had one piece before I started the diet). But since I started the diet... I have not had any.

Now I just need to get the air conditioner at home fixed so I can do the exercise bike without keeling over from heat exhaustion. I've called the landlord twice. He is so slow to do anything. Grrrr.

Well, enough of this rambling. I better get back to "work".... or at least look busy. LOL

I wish I had written my dream when I woke up...

2011-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Grrrrr. blogger won't let me cut and paste so now I have to retype this all over again. Oh well...

Last night I dreamed that I had bought a house. It was a narrow, two story house. I was having a party there and I was very surprised at how many people showed up. It was like a big family reunion. I was walking all around making sure everybody was enjoying themselves, and checking on the food, and so on.

I saw a nice looking man sitting in a chair playing with a baby and he had a dog by his side. As I approached him, he said, "Hey, where's Mary?"

I went up to him and he stood up and I saw that it was Uncle David but he was a lot younger, and he could walk! I told him mom wasn't there because she has been gone for a few years and he said, "Well, so have I. I want to see her."

There were people filling the yard and the streets and I was just amazed so many showed up. And I recognized a lot of them as people I knew when I was a little kid and I also knew most of them had died.

Karin was there, entertaining a group of kids, and her hair was cut short and in a wedge. She didn't really want to talk to me. She was busy keeping the kids occupied.

I also saw Annette, but I couldn't get over to talk to her.

I caught a glimpse of aunt Joyce.

And I had the feeling that Uncle Eddie was going to show up. I was really looking forward to seeing him, but also realized that if I did, it meant he was dead too.

There were Harlow's there also. Grandma, and Maddy. I saw uncle Don (who is still living).

That's all I remember. UPDATE: Last night as I lay in bed I was thinking about this dream and another thing occurred to me -- in my house, the kitchen was upstairs, on the top level. And I thought, "Hmm I wonder what the significance of that is?" and then I thought, "I am happy in my kitchen. The upper level is where I will be happy."

Interesting.....

I hate dental work

2011-06-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I had a horrible man for a dentist. His name was Dr. Nemeister. He would fill my cavities with NO PAIN KILLER. I did not even know that you could have novacaine for fillings until I was 18 years old and moved to Utah. I was traumatized by this man. I remember he was drilling and the pain was so bad I was crying and he called me a baby! I hope he is getting his just desserts in the great beyond.

As a result.... I am a dental phobe. I am terrified of dentists. I hate them. I hate even getting cleanings. I hate the whole deal.

Last month I had an abcess and infection in my tooth that spread to the bone. The pain was horrendous. I had a root canal and they just put a temporary filling in the tooth. So yesterday I had to go get a crown prep.

At least with the root canal I got happy gas and major pain blockers. With the crown prep they gave me a little bit of numbing and then they DRILLED and DRILLED and did horrible torture to me for TWO HOURS!!!! They had to "build up" the tooth because there was nothing to attach the crown to.

I was shaking, and grasping the chair arms and trying not to hurl. (I have a real sensitive gag reflex). Oh it was not fun. NOT fun at all.

The dentist I had though, was a real sweetheart. Very nice.

So now I have a temporary crown on until they get the permanent one. That is about 3 weeks.

I kept thinking, "Boy, I can't wait to get resurrected and have all perfect teeth."

Oh, and while he was doing this he told me that the crown right beside it looks bad and may need to be replaced. He wants me to come back. I've maxed out my dental insurance with just this root canal and crown. I don't think I can handle another one. Even with insurance it was $800 out of pocket.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Just give me dentures.

YUMMMMMMMY Vegetable Soup

2011-06-07T06:05:00.000-07:00

Time to start eating healthy and try to drop some of the depression pounds I accumulated over the winter.

Last night I made a huge pot of very awesome veggie soup.

I chopped up red, orange and yellow peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, brocolli and sauteed them in a little bit of olive oil until they were starting to get tender. Then I added a can of Italian stewed tomatoes, a can of corn, a can of drained and rinsed white beans and a can of drained and rinsed navy beans. Covered it all with water and threw in 4 chicken herb boullion cubes. Bring to a boil, then turned down to medium and cooked til the veggies were done. (about 20 minutes).

Then I turned the heat up and threw in a couple handfuls of whole wheat linguine that I had broken up into small pieces. Cooked that ten minutes till it was almost done. Then threw in a couple big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves and cooked for 3 more minutes.

Then I took it off the heat and added, salt, lemon pepper, granulated garlic, cumin, thyme, chili powder, and some all purpose seasoning (chef somebody... I can't remember the name).

It was so good that I had FOUR bowls of it. And David, (who is extremely picky) ate it and said "Wow, this looks gross but it sure tastes good!"

I have enough for last me for a few days. It's healthy. It's got the good fat in it (and not very much because I only used about 2 teaspoons of olive oil) and the beans provide the protein.

It's also nice and filling! And the wonderful thing is that this is a recipe where you can adapt to whatever you like. Put whatever veggies you want. I wanted to put some butternut squash in it, but they didn't have any at walmart. Next time I will put that, and maybe some zuchinni.

Longing for a visit home

2011-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

This picture reminds me of Vermont. I really hoped to go see my dad this year and take George. We still hope it will happen. Just not sure when. One thing we have discussed is having George go straight to Vermont from Honolulu when he leaves and I will meet him there.

I've been rather negative and whiney lately. Believe me. I hate it. I can't stand myself some days. LOL. Part of my problem is that I've put on a enormous amount of weight. I need to get it off.

I just have absolutely no energy. Ever. I think I need to get in and see the doctor. This has gone on way too long. But the doctor always takes blood, tells me its all normal, and that I just need to exercise.

Well, I want to exercise but I have no energy or desire or motivation to do it.

Blech. I hate feeling like this.

Weather woes

2011-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

We are having one of the wettest, coldest springs on record. I'll take that over tornados anyday. But still, it made for a change in plans when my Georgie came to visit. We had planned to go have a picnic in Millcreek Canyon. Probably good thing we didn't because the day we would have.... there was some weirdo guy doing mushrooms and walking around with his pants down. Not my kind of fun.

And we wanted to do some other stuff outside. But it was cold and rainy. Booooooo.

George has only seen Utah at it's worst. Therefore he HATES this state. He has no desire to live here. Well, other than the fact that his WIFE is here. But he has only seen cold, rain, snow, wind... the bad side.

He really wants to move to Yuma, AZ and open a business with his friend Tom. That may be in our future. But definitely not near future.

I'm not leaving BSD. I'm not leaving my kids. I'm not leaving Utah. Nope. And thankfully, he isn't asking me to.

I forget my german....

2011-06-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Kinda funny. I was on vacation from work last week to be with George but I forgot to update my "out of office assistant" for emails received outside of the office. So our people in Germany sent me some emails and they received my auto-response saying that I was out of the office until October 18.

So they start emailing my coworkers, asking, "Is Michelle pregnant? Why is she going to be gone so long?"

I sent them all e-mails after I returned which said "Nicht kinder haben"

I hope that's right..... LOL

I hate goodbyes.

2011-06-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

When George was coming home to visit, the anticipation was so much fun. And suddenly the day was here! And he was here! And for the next 5 days, nothing in the world existed but him and I.

We laughed, we talked, we acted like kids. We played games, and went to movies, and cuddled. We went for walks, we went shopping. We spent a lot of time just holding each other.

It was so wonderful. I have missed him so much. I just feel complete when he is by my side.

But oh, so soon.... too soon..... it came time to say goodbye again. For a few more months at least. They never tell him when the job will be done. He doesn't know. He hears rumors that it's 60-90 more days.

But then I know they will just send him off somewhere else.

I didn't realize how hard...... how difficult this would be to be separated so much.

But it is. And each time I say goodbye I find myself retreating inside a dark, black, hollow, pit of loneliness and depression that just scares me.

Emotions overwhelm me. I cried so hard, and so long yesterday that I made myself literally sick.

And today at work... I keep choking back tears. I have a feeling of horrible loneliness gnawing at my stomach.

I love my husband. I miss him. I want him.

Mmmmm good home cooking

2011-05-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

George comes home tomorrow and one thing I know he is looking forward to is some of my down home cooking! I am going to make Pozole rojo (for the first time).... and I hope it comes out good. And then I am going to make my awesome and amazing guacamole cheeseburgers. OOOOH even David is hooked on the burgers!!

I chop up sweet onion and mix with the ground beef. Add granulated garlic, and lemon/pepper seasoning. Fry in the pan with the lid on, so it stays moist and juicy. Melt cheese on the top, then take off the heat and cover with foil (this also makes the juices stay in the burger) while I toast the bun. While the bun is toasting, I mix half an avocado (mashed) with a dollop (small spoonful) of mayonaise. Spread that on the toasted bun - both top bun and bottom bun. Put on the burger, then tomato, and lettuce, ketchup, etc. OOOH baby. It's amazing. I can't even get my mouth around it. I have to eat with a fork.

The pozole has pork in it. And roasted hot peppers, onions, hominy, enchilada sauce, garlic, etc.... and should be awesome. I'm making a big batch so we can eat it several times, so I hope it comes out good. LOL.

I am also making a batch of my "9 3/4 hot sauce). On a scale of one to ten --- ten being extremely mouth burning hot -- this is 9.75. I can't even eat it. But George LOVES it. I think that guy has a cast iron stomach. I can't even eat a drop of it. David likes it, but he about burned his mouth too.

The weather should be amazing on Saturday. Up in the 80's. I hope so. We'd like to go up Millcreek Canyon and do a little bit of hiking and sight seeing. Maybe a picnic or something. Just a chance to soak up some sun. It's been raining toooooo long.

Special challenges

2011-05-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

This little guy belongs to a family member (Kramer side). He is 6 weeks old and he had his hearing tested on Friday and he failed all 6 tests.

He is profoundly deaf.

This will be a challenge, but he is surrounded by love from many people. Hearing impaired or not... he's a perfect little man. Sweet and loving and precious.

"The blind shall see... the deaf shall hear, the dead shall live again....."

Really good movie!

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

There's a wild beast roaming a village, killing off people. The majority think it's a wolf.... but the damage done to the bodies couldn't have been done by a wolf.

So what is it? You'll be amazed and surprised..... this is a french movie, dubbed in English.

I really enjoyed it.

Govt waste revisited

2011-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

The people of the US have their priorities really screwed up. We pay celebrities and sports figures outrageous amounts of money to entertain us. Government spends outrageous amounts to CREATE more problems. Since when did ANYTHING in government ever get FIXED?

The world is spinning down, down, down into the toilet. Because of greed. Because of wrong priorities.

So many "easy" ways to fix things, but they'll never happen. Because NOBODY will humble themselves to do it.

Odd thought, but what if for one year every celebrity, sports figure, politician, rich person on the planet lived on just a "normal" amount and all their money went to help the poor. What a difference it would make!

I know. I know. Silly weird rant today. I have money on the brain because I'm watching my bank account dwindle. Gas is up. Food is up. Medical bills pouring in. blech. Who cares? It's nuts.

Ummmy YUMMY Oh so good for my tummy

2011-05-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

I tried a different brand of chili mix pkt. It's hard to find the Gold Star brand anymore these days. I used to buy them by the case online, but lately haven't been able to get any. Michael found these in a local store so he bought me a couple. I made it yesterday. OH MAN. It's so good. I almost dare to say I like it BETTER than the original. (oh don't shoot me please). I put the kidney beans, and onions, and soup crackers on mine. (along with cheese of course). Oh it's soooo good.

Oooh (update): I found these pkts on amazon. I just ordered a case of 24. I'm set for the year.

General rambling

2011-05-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

I want a vacation where I can sit in the sun, preferably in front of the ocean. I get so rejuvenated when I am by the ocean, listening to the waves, meditating, ahhhhhh. That, to me, is heaven. But, I'm not going to Hawaii this year, so that won't happen. George is coming here in 11 days. Maybe we'll go up in the mountains and find some place to chill. I've lived in Utah for almost 30 years and I still don't know where anything is, or what there is to do, or where to go. Pretty sad.

I want a dog. Been craving the companionship of a dog lately. Can't have one where I live now. But we are saving up to get a house and then we get a dog too.

Work. Lately my responsibilities have shifted. We are not doing so much engineering stuff at the moment, but we're focusing on marketing our ablation unit. Which means I don't have a whole lot to do. So they have me doing some technical writing. And also designing of forms and so on which is a challenge because I HATE Word with a passion.

Choices Choices.....

2011-05-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I asked for people's opinions on hair color as I'm getting mine done Saturday. Most prefer the first one. Which, to me seems kinda boring and most like what I ALWAYS have.

I kind of want the white blonde highlight one..... but that may be "too young" for me.

Nobody really likes the middle one with the reddish shimmer. I love that one, but I have done those coppery colors and they don't look that great on me.

So... do I go with the majority who vote for "ho hum yawn" or do I be bold and try something NEW?

Everytime I venture out and try something "NEW" I end up not liking it. Or, I like it, but nobody else does.

I like my hair really dark. But most people I know have told me they prefer it lighter.

I'm excited

2011-05-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Gonna be a grandma. And baby looks like a baby...not just an alien. LOL

What happened?

2011-04-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Prince William used to be a hunk. I thought he took after his mom and he really was a good looking kid.

Then suddenly overnight he turned into his dad!

WHAT HAPPENED?

He lost his hair! Isn't he young f0r that?

I mean really. Look at the difference!! I'd go for young Prince William (age 18 in the cute photo), but I'd ditch the current one.

Yeah? Whatever!

2011-04-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

So... I'm kinda grumpy. And Rightly so. I haven't seen my hubby since JANUARY.

But all this gonna change. Cuz he is coming home for a week for our anniversary. Memorial Day. YAY.

I miss him soooooo bad. Unfortunately he has to go back to Honolulu on May 31, but I plan to love every second he is in town. And then I may cry for a week.

But for now.... I'm grumpy... but soon to be smiling. I hope. LOL

Fight Dr. Evil Unemployment!

2011-04-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Some idiot took $14,000 of government aid meant to go toward the unemployed and purchased thousands of superhero capes for a "Cape-Ability" challenge. Handing out the capes to the unemployed.

HOW wasteful and stupid is that??? What are they supposed to do? Use it as a blanket while they sleep in a box because they are homeless? Wear it to a job interview? Believe that it will give them magic power to get a job?

Yet ANOTHER stupid, idiotic waste of money. But cuts have to be made so they have cut mental health funding in EVERY state.

More people are now unemployed, uninsured, depressed and desperate and they can't get any help because the funds are cut for mental health. But, oh... let's give em all a superman cape and all will be well.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY??????

I am so fed up with the stupid, horrible choices being made by the people in charge I could SCREAM.

The utter WASTE by our government astounds me. They cut medicare benefits for the elderly. They cut funds for our schools. They cut funds for mental health. They cut funding for cancer research. They cut salary for our military. But oh.... they spend thousands on superman capes. They spend thousands on "studies" for cow burps. They spend millions to entertain each other with fancy dinners at $1000 a plate, and pay for private jets, 5-star hotels, and limos.

Let the congressmen and women stay in a Motel 6, drive a Ford Focus, and eat at McDonalds. Who are they to deserve luxury? If they represent ME they should live like ME. How else are they going to know the plight of the normal person/family?

One congressman recently got called on the carpet because he makes $170,000 a year and he was claiming he was "more in debt" than anybody else. Well, he has two houses. Boo hooo. And apparently he doesn't know how to budget his money. I could live very comfortably on $170,000 a year and be completely debt free. I don't want to to hear Waaa Waaaa from the rich.

Man it burns me. Just got to vent.

Dreaming

2011-04-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I had a strange dream about my mom last night. She was living in an apartment, alone. I was there to help her and she was in a wheelchair. If she wanted to walk, I had to hold her up, and she was heavy so I would almost drop her. I kept telling her to just sit and I would push her in the chair. But she'd get mad at me.

She told me she wanted me to take her in the car to a place where they were going to do her makeup. I was not familiar with the area where she lived, and really didn't want to drive the roads, but I would if she really wanted me to.

She kept saying "My daughter is going to call you." And I would say, "You mean my sister Donna? I'm your daughter too mom" but she acted like she didn't know me as her daughter.

Donna called me on the phone and I was trying to tell her that mom didn't recognize me and I needed help getting her in and out of the car because she was very heavy and I would almost drop her.

There was more to the dream... but I don't remember it. Weird.

Nice funeral

2011-04-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

So my friend Zelle passed away. I have known her and her husband for 27 years. They have been in my home every month for the past 8 years. (almost every month).

I went to her funeral today. It was a very sweet funeral. Very nice. Very sad. I still can't wrap my head around the fact she is gone. I only talked to her on the phone a couple weeks ago.

But she went to church last Sunday, she seemed fine -- and then she went home and dropped dead of a heart attack in a blink of an eye. I had a feeling something was up because I walked past her house on Sunday after church and there were a ton of cars there.

She's the "matriarch" of a HUGE family. Her husband, has aged ten years in the past week. He looked so lost and forlorn. Very, very sad. It would not surprise me if he also leaves this life in the near future. That happens a lot... when a spouse goes. But actually, in our ward, it doesn't. So I guess I shouldn't say that. We have a lot of widowers in the ward who have survived their wives by several years.

I thought my dad would go soon after my mom. But she has been gone for 4 years and he's still here. He's too ornery to die anyway. LOL.

When I attend funerals, I always find myself planning my own. (I know that sounds depressing and maudlin, but really it's not). I'm going to die someday. That's a given. And I'd actually like to have the kind of funeral "I" want -- because I will be there, watching. I have no doubt.

I want my funeral to be fun. By that I mean... I want a lot of laughter. I guess I better write all my thoughts down sometime and give to my kids so they have them.

I want my life "celebrated." I don't want my death mourned. I know I'm going to a better place. And I will still be me.

Red flags

2011-04-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

New girl at work. Mid-forties. Been here a week and has displayed drug seeking behavior like you wouldn't believe.

She has a problem. I can tell. I have had bad vibes about her since I met her. And I try to be nice. I even went to lunch with her today to my favorite spot "La Hacienda". But.... there's something not right.

I think she thinks I have good "drugs" in my desk drawer because I have some Tylenol in a baggie. LOL. It's just tylenol. She's welcome to it.

Rant and Rave Wednesday

2011-04-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

What is happening to this world? All I hear is negative news. Wars abound. Gas is going up. People getting laid off. Governments threatening to strike. Congressmen and women who no longer represent the people. They say what they can to get voted into office but after that... they have their own agenda. And the STUPID IDIOTIC decisions that are being made in legislature make absolutely no sense.

What is going on in this world???

Utah recently relaxed its liquor laws. People were happy because, let's face it, the laws are archaic. Whether half the state drinks or not, we really need to respect those who do. And relaxing the laws did not increase the amount of people who drink, or up the DUI statistics. But the government gave a little and now wants to take it all back by closing a bunch of stores (stores that actually MAKE HUGE PROFITS).

Ok.... now... I don't support liquor stores. But it is a business that makes a huge PROFIT. And a percentage of those profits go to our schools. (odd, I know, but hey,.... the schools need money).

So the people in the DABC want to close 9 stores (I didn't even know there were that many in the state)... and lay OFF a bunch of people (so they can go on government aid unemployment) and take money away from our schools which are already struggling on a string budget.

I just don't get it.

I know somebody who went to the liquor store on Saturday. There was only ONE employee working and the line was 45 people long. People were getting angry having to wait. It makes NO SENSE to me!!! NO BUSINESS sense!!! I'd rant and rave just as much if it was convenience stores, or grocery stores or any business that makes millions of dollars a year in profit and the powers that be think it's good business sense to CLOSE them?????

Then the government planning it's little strike.... the congressmen would continue to get their paycheck.... but our MILITARY would have to have theirs put on hold???? The people who make hundreds of thousands a year get theirs.... but the ones who struggle paycheck to paycheck... they don't?

If I was a military person and I heard that. I'd quit fighting. Seriously. I'd walk out. You're not going to pay me? I'm not going to fight for you.

Grrrrrr. Sorry. I have to rant.

I am trying to eat healthier. Guess what? It costs MORE to eat healthy than it does to eat crap. I could live on macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles for $10 a week. I'm paying $75 just for salad ingredients. Avocados are over $2.50 EACH now. That doesn't cover food for David, his milk, and cereal, and so on. $400 to $500 a month for food for two people is crazy.

I rarely go out anymore.

David has to ride the UTA bus every day to get home from school. That's $2.50 a day. He eats lunch at school and that's also $2.50 a day. So it's $25/week to let him go to "free public school".

Stocks are in the toilet. I can't even sell my stock now... it's worth less than what I paid.

And the exhorbitant amounts people charge for funerals!! Three lines in the paper for an obituary cost $300 in Florida. That is highway robbery. No wonder more people are choosing cremation! I think I am going to also. I don't want to fork out THOUSANDS of dollars to be planted in the ground! Just cremate me and plant me with my mom in Putney. Or sprinkle me over something.

The government spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to study cow burps in the midwest. (I am serious. Read the article). So much money is wasted.

Lately in the news... all you hear about are people who have been ripping off their businesses, or getting government funding for things but the money is going in their pocket. Scams, identity thefts, robbery, murder, mental illness.

You think it can't get worse, but it does.

Sure could use a little good news.....

Nobody understands it

2011-04-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

I found out today ON FACEBOOK that my former father in law died this morning.

Needless to say, I'm shocked.

And I'm sad. That man was like a father to me for 25 years.

I love him.

And nobody GETS it. I'm sad. And people are like "Well, he's your ex's father so why are you upset?"

One person even had the nerve to joke and say "Oh, well that's one less soc security check the government has to send out."

My heck people..... when I divorced Mark I didn't shut off all feeling and just decide to hate everybody!! I am still very much a KRAMER in many ways.

And Mark and all my kids are on a cruise right now and I don't even know if they KNOW about this!!!!!

Dad K. was my son's escort through the temple last August.

Dad K. let David and Michael spend the summer with them in FL.

Dad K. took Karin and Angie and Jessica on a road trip.

My kids LOVE their grandpa. And I am hurting for them!!!!

And I am hurting for my mother in law.

And I am just really upset that nobody GETS how upset I am!!!!!

But to find it out on FB... wow. That hurt.

I still don't even know HOW he died. Or why.

I want to hug my family. But they're all gone. I'm all alone.

LOL

2011-03-18T15:34:00.001-07:00

Karin will appreciate this.

I miss my hubby....

2011-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I created this montage from pics of us and our smiley gallery. Set it to music.

I miss my George. But he may not be gone as long as expected. The end... may be near. :-)

Metamorphisis

2011-03-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my husband and I will be apart for a little while. It's a fact of life. One I can't change.

He misses me as much as I miss him.

Gas is going up. Food is going up. Taxes are going up. Economy is going down. Wars abound. People get sick and die. Children get hurt and cry. Dope addicts are rampant. Thieves break into people's homes WHILE THEY ARE THERE. Foods are full of pesticides, leaders hand out genocide. Politicians scam us all. Making promises that fail. Who do you trust anymore? How can we dare to answer our door? I don't. People knock and I hide.

I live in a world of chaos. Secret societies. Nothing is as it seems. Even the most fundamental things get all twisted up so you don't know what is what anymore. My anxiety level has SHOT through the roof. Haven't been this bad in a long time.

So, George and I had a wonderful talk (well several of them) and he keeps telling me to just hang in there. Focus on the family. Focus on work. Focus on the Word of God. Shut the world out and create my own haven. And look forward to when we can be together again. (He says it's the last time he's going to work on the islands).

I woke up the other morning and realized several things. 1. I had gained a TON of weight. 2. I needed to change that.

So, I'm going to be alike a catepillar and go into my cocoon and soon transform into a beautiful butterfly.

I have so much to be thankful for. My children are awesome. All of them. I love them dearly.

They are smart, talented, kind, loving, generous. I could not have asked for better. I hit the jackpot.

MY BMW

2011-03-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

Lest you can't guess what "BMW" stands for.... it's b*tch, moan and whine.

I will feel better after I let this out.

So.... ok..... I sold some stock last year and got hit HARD by the tax man. To the tune of a couple THOUSAND. Yet, I don't even feel like I got to enjoy ANYTHING from that transaction!! And now what I had sitting in my savings account gets to go to Uncle Sam. Damn.

Oh, and Utah just passed a bill to DOUBLE the sales tax on food. This is going to impact the poor who can barely afford food anyhow. I'm thinking I better get used to living on beans and rice.

And then today I noticed my front tire is going flat. Oh how convenient!

And my rent is getting raised.....

and on and on and on............. I see money just swirling down a huge toilet bowl hole.... glug, glug, glug.

Had to fork out almost $100 for David to take the ACT test and enroll in concurrent enrollment. Plus his driver's ed. And his weekly driving assignments use up gas.... which is now $3.30 per GALLON.

I need to get a cyst removed from my wrist and another epidural in my neck..... (several hundred out of pocket there).

And my husband is far far far away................................................

I hate it when I feel all stressed out.

Phooey

2011-02-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

I thought selling stock was supposed to be a good thing. Huh.

Not when the government gets half of it.

What a crock.

I'm peeved.

Whatever. Grrrr.

Paradise... here I come!!!

2011-02-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

These are photos of Oahu. Can't wait to go. I love the islands. Looking forward to this trip is what will help me keep my sanity. It's so hard to be apart again. And the 3 hour time difference is really hard especially when I go to bed early. Leaves us no time to talk.

I get up at 6am.... so it is 3 am where George is. When I eat lunch at 11:00, he is working. I get off work and he is getting back from lunch. I go to bed at 7 or 8 and he's still working!

It's going to get worse in a couple weeks when we change our clocks ahead one hour. Then we will be 4 hours apart because Hawaii doesn't change their clocks.

Well, being depressed is taking it's toll on me. I just eat and sleep. So I am getting fat again.

This weekend I will consume everything that is a temptation to me to the point that I will never want it again.... and then I start my diet on Tuesday.

And it's time to pull out the exercise dvds again.

And start tanning. I always feel so much better when I tan.

Hehehe when George sees me again... he's not going to recognize me. :-)

Three letters that spark fear.......

2011-02-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we have an FDA audit. They always cause a bit of a panic because our company depends on FDA approval for our products. We do the best we can and we really try hard to comply to everything we need to. And we usually pass just fine. But it always makes everybody a bit tense and cranky and stressed out when it's coming up.

You never know if you are going to get a "nice" auditor or a "picky" one.

There are rules we have to follow in our conversations with auditors. And some of those rules are really difficult to remember. Especially when you're nervous and you're trying to make a good impression. You tend to "chat" and that's not a good thing.

Hopefully it all goes well. I have confidence it will.

Georgie is in Oahu. I haven't talked to him. He got in after I was already sound asleep. I imagine we'll get to talk tonight. Three hour time difference stinks. Three thousand miles apart stinks.

oh well.

ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Good news!

2011-02-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

My "sister" had a brain scan and "Bob" (that's what she named her tumor) is GONE and no new tumors have taken up residence.

This is GREAT!!!!

Also.... her mammogram showed NO CHANGE from last year.

And her tumor markers in her blood work have dropped way down.

AND -- she got reinstated on her clinical trial chemo drug Iniparib.

All great news!!!

Thunder Snow. Glad to be alive....

2011-02-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I'm thankful to be here today. Alive. Last night was the SCARIEST winter driving experience I ever had.

Karin and I went to the Jazz game, despite the fact that a storm of huge proportions was set to hit Utah at any moment. On our way to the game we saw lightning strike a power pole right near us. We almost turned around.

Maybe we should have.

But no, we were brave (or stupid?) and continued on to the game. Got there just before it started.

The tip off came and the Jazz were ahead by a few points against the Golden State Warriors when suddenly the lights in the arena went dim -- well, half of them went OUT. The game was halted and an announcement was made that there was a power outage.

The arena has back up generators, and while the light was dimmer than normal, it was still good for playing so the audience encouraged the game to go forward. It did... and the Jazz started slipping behind, but then they were tied at half time.

David sent me a text that the weather was turning bad so Karin and I left.

Good thing we left when we did.

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!

Karin lives up on the mountain... so the weather was ten times worse up there. We made it to her place ok - only because SHE was driving. (Still a few scary moments for me). I got in my car and headed down the mountain.

The snow was coming down HARD. Blizzard conditions. I have only one headlight. And you cannot drive in blinding snow with highbeams. My windshield wipers kept freezing up. I have night blindness really bad. I have anxiety really bad.

I was frantically trying to find the turn that I needed to go down 4500 South. So I was crawling along Wasatch Blvd in this mess.

Suddenly out of nowhere I hit an island divider in the road and I thought "Huh, I don't remember ever seeing that before." I began to suspect I had missed my turn.

I had.

I kept going along Wasatch Blvd. And going.... and going.... and suddenly there were no lights.... no houses, no stores... no turn offs... the road narrowed and got winding.... and I started hyperventilating.

I knew I had gone too far. But there was no place to turn around! And I felt like I was heading UP not going down at all.

I prayed......... oh how I prayed. OOOOH how I prayed.

I finally realized I had to get myself turned around. But there was no place to do it. So I turned sideways right in the middle of the road. Then I panicked. My car had got stuck in my friend's driveway once when it had snowed and it took 3 of us and half an hour to get it unstuck.

I was alone. On this road. In PITCH black. No street lights. Nothing. And I could tell that I was on a cliff bank.

I was so afraid. If those wheels started spinning. I would be a gonner. There would be nobody there to push me out. It was just a two lane road.... very narrow.... and if any car came upon me I was blocking the whole road so it would have been very bad. I grabbed my phone and thought about calling Karin for help. But I didn't want her to come out again in this mess.

I thought about Brett, but he hadn't even made it home yet. There was no way he could come help me. Nope... It was me and Heavenly Father.

Thank the Lord.... (and I continue to thank Him).... my car turned around without a problem.

I found my turn and headed down the mountain.

The road goes down at a steep angle. I learned I have good brakes. I was able to take that road nice and slow.

But the wipers still kept freezing and I had to pull over several times to clean them off.

Some idiot cars behind me didn't like how slow I was going so they passed me and threw snow up in my face.

I made it home. I was shaking like a leaf. But I was alive. I was thankful.

Oh.... and the Jazz ended up losing anyway.

Aloha George

2011-02-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't seen my George for a couple weeks. He's been in Yuma, AZ. Yesterday the company called and they are sending him back to Hawaii for a "few months". This time to the island of Oahu.

So the good news is, they upped his wages. And if he is going to be spending months over there, then for sure I am getting another trip out of it.

But the bad news is......... I'm back to being alone for weeks on end.

I'm so depressed about that. I just cried myself to sleep last night. I feel like screaming at everybody.

Oh well. It's time to change my ways and lose some weight and start exercising and get myself back to the land of the living.

But first........ let me wallow in my self pity for a bit. I think I deserve it.

Oh... bless my dad...... he means well.....

2011-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

I told my dad I wanted him to send me some photos of my mom because I don't have very many of her. He said ok.

I waited several weeks for him to get around to mailing it and it finally arrived yesterday.

I was so excited!

But.............. then.................... I opened the package and the photo he sent of mom is one I ALREADY HAVE.

And then he sent the following items and I have NO IDEA what he was thinking.....

A sympathy card sent to him when his mother died (back in the 80's) from people I don't know.

A 1982 christmas card sent to them from my Aunt Amanda and Uncle Dick.

A christmas card from Janet, David, Rachel and Jonathan.

Postcards from a trip to Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Recommended immunization schedule for children in 1963.

I laughed................. then I cried....................

To-do List for My Weekend

2011-02-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

One thing George is really good at, is cleaning up and organizing things. He has organized things so well here I can't find anything!

But a lot of stuff just needs to be sorted through and discarded, or stored. So that is what I am doing this weekend. I cleaned out the refrigerator today. Threw out almost everything. Cleaned out the cupboards and the "junk" drawer in the kitchen.

My next project is the home office.

Once George gets back, I think we should buy the closet organizer. We have a huge walk in closet, but a lot of space is wasted in it. I think this would utilize that space.

Anyhow.... de-junking is a nice stress reducer for me. And it's the best thing to do on a cold, gray, winters day when a storm is on the way.

The bishop of George's friend Tom has hired them to do a bunch of landscaping for them. The Bishop's daughter or son is getting married in April and they are going to have the reception in the back yard. George and Tom worked on Tom's yard two years ago and it's like a park. So the Bishop wanted them to do his also. That means George will be gone another week at least.

Oh well..... that's life. At least we talk several times a day. And I'm keeping busy here at the house.

Now.... where did I put my to-do list????

I am LONELY

2011-02-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

George has been gone a week. Oh how I miss him. Forgive me for whining but I do miss him! Tonight is Friday and we have established Friday as our "date night" and he is out of town so..... I am all alone.....

I hate being alone.

He makes me laugh and we have such a great time together.

HURRY HOME GEORGIE!!!!!!!

Beat the Chill

2011-02-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

MAN it's cold here! BELOW zero. So I made a big crockpot of my yummy chicken noodle soup to bring to work and sell for lunch. I also brought my grill and some sourdough bread and homemade garlic spread.

For the soup:

Beat 2 eggs with a little water (about 2 TB) and a dash of salt and about 1/8 tea of baking powder. Add 1 cup of flour and mix. Dough will be sticky. Stir in more flour (by hand) until dough is not sticky anymore and you can knead it. Then roll it with a rolling pin till it is VERY thin. This takes about a good 15 minutes of rolling, turn the dough, roll more, flip the dough, roll more.... Then take a knife or pizza cutter and cut into strips, then cut crosswise so you get smaller noodle size pieces. Let this dough SIT on the counter for about an hour.

Meanwhile:

In a large pot chop up

1 bunch of celery

2 large onions

1 pkg of baby carrots (I chop them up even though they are already tiny)

Cover with water, and add a pkg of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup mix (in the packet). And one can of cream of chicken soup.

Bring to a boil, then turn to low, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.

If you need to add more water, do so, or add chicken broth. Turn the heat up to high and get it boiling. Then add the noodles and boil for 6 minutes, stirring often.

Turn heat down to low again and throw in about 3 cups of cooked chicken. (To make this easy, I bought a roasted chicken at the store and just pulled the meat off, cut it up and threw it in).

Add salt and pepper to taste and warm through.

YUM YUM

Tuesday thoughts.....

2011-02-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I could access this blog... I have forgotten how to write!

Many thoughts in my head these days. Certain numbers keep popping up EVERYWHERE the past year and this year... Those numbers are 2, 7, 27, 11. George and I see them in EVERYTHING, so much so, that we no longer consider it a coincidence because it happens nearly daily... and in the middle of the night.... We don't know what the numbers mean.... but we know we'll figure it out eventually.

Well, George already thinks he has it figured out. But I'm a bit more skeptical on some of his theories.

Two big trips planned for this year. (well, big for us). George hasn't met my dad yet so we are planning to go visit him when the weather gets warmer. (NO WAY am I heading to New England at this time of year. Been there, done that... and it took 3 days to unbury my rental car).

And George's mom turns 80 this year and I have not met her yet so I would like to do so... so we hope to get to see her.

I'd also really like to go see my "sister" who has cancer, but I'm not sure she's up for visitors, and so we'll hold off on that for a little bit.

My lunch catering business is in high demand. I may have to invest in some more cookware because right now I can only make enough for about 8 people and twice that many want my lunches. We did flautas, beans and rice for our first lunch and it sold out. Tomorrow I am bringing homemade chicken noodle soup and some garlic bread or rolls. (I make the noodles from scratch and they are sooooooooooo good).

Anyhow.... I think this year will be "prosperous" and I hope we save up enough to get into another place. We decided to move, but then everything just blocked our way, and after pondering about it, and discussing it... we decided that we needed to take our time to find the "right" place. We were in such a hurry to just up and leave.... and hasty decisions are never good ones. So we've slowed down... we're going to sell off some stuff, and keep looking and we'll know when the time is right and the location is right because it will all fall into place.

Meanwhile.... we ignore the neighbors as best as we can.

Cancer sucks

2011-01-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well, my dear sister won the lottery. The chemo lottery that is. She was accepted into a clinical trial for Iniparib. I have access to a lot of journal information on this drug and it is VERY promising for treating triple Negative breast cancer that has metastasized.

Survival rates are almost DOUBLE for women who get Iniparib. That is truly promising.

Meanwhile.... she is keeping a smile on her face and a joke on her lips. She is taking each day as it comes and she has been blessed to have friends and family that can help out with the family and taking care of her.

I wish I lived closer.

I got resurrected!

2011-01-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

So my blog disappeared and now it's back. Cool!

Weird, but cool!

This pic was taken in Midland, TX in December. It was a interesting funnel type cloud.

Not giving up hope

2010-12-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well, my dear "sister" who has cancer, has stage 4 cancer. It's incurable. She has a brain tumor, and a spot on the liver in addition to all the other places mentioned in my previous blog.

HOWEVER.... her team of doctors plan to treat agressively and they are optimistic that while they can't "cure" her... they can buy her YEARS instead of months.

Since I work for a company that deals with recurrent cancer, I read a LOT of research articles about it, and it really is possible to live for years with metastatic cancer. Our company president's wife has had metastatic breast cancer for 5 years!! She gets chemo every single week. (low dose). She is the first person I have actually met in person who has survived so long with metastatic cancer.

There is hope.

There is always a rainbow.

Plus, my dear "sister" has a very positive attitude and is facing this with courage and humor. She has named her brain tumor "Bob" and now she can blame everything on "Bob" when she messes up. LOL.

They are taking care of the brain tumor via surgery and radiation. It's quite small, so they want to deal with that first. It will never be gone, but at least it can be virtually non-existent if it is small enough.

Right now, she is in denial. And she admits she is in denial. And I sure don't blame her at all. But she has hope to cling to, that this won't be her last Christmas, and that she will be able to accomplish the things on her "bucket list".

I wish I didn't live so far away.

Anguish

2010-12-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Someone near and dear to me is facing a challenge. In her words, " My cancer has recurred. There is a huge mass at my mastectomy site, multiple axillary lymph nodes, one nodule in my lung and a mass in my chest cavity. The huge mass has integrated into the chest wall and has begun destruction of my third and fourth ribs. That information is from the chest CT only. I had the core biopsy done today. Bone scan and brain MRI on Wednesday and PET scan on Thurs. We go back to the oncologist on Friday. We won't know any results before Friday when we talk to him."

She is younger than me..... and has 4 children.

What can I do? Well, the company I work for deals with cancer treatment. Especially recurrent cancer treatment. I gave her a contact and hope she is able to get in and get treatment.

Winding down

2010-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

This has been an amazing year.
Met my George, fell in love, got married, gained a daughter-in-law, watched my work go from dead to hopping, lost 30 pounds. (gained 20 back.... lost 17 again)....

I am blessed. I am happy. I am strong. I am content. I am feeling very positive about the future.

I love my family. I love my life. I love my hubby.

Showers and Weddings

2010-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

So Bryttan is a Kramer now. The day was beautiful and everything seemed to go smoothly.

There's not really much I can say about it.

The wedding was short. The sealer began by saying this was the second marriage he has ever done.... and I guess he didn't know that it is tradition to talk to the bride and groom for a bit.

So he just married them. Bim Bam Over and Done.

Mmmm Karin made these cupcakes for the shower. I wish I could have had some. They look yummy. But I am on a diet.

Now the year is almost over. The holidays are upon us. George and I will be spending the week between Christmas and New Years in Texas visiting his family. I am excited to meet them.

Well, that's about all I have to say at this time.

So goodnight all.

Yes it's true....

2010-10-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

I HATE SHOPPING!

It's not that I hate spending money.... if you gave me a wad of cash I STILL would not want to go out and shop.

I need to go find some things for the wedding and I just don't WANT to do it. I need shoes and a shrug and maybe some gloves to complete my "ensemble".

Don't wanna.

Now... I LOVE internet shopping. Sit and click. OOOH YEAH.

But I hate Christmas shopping. I hate grocery shopping. I hate all that. I want to go to Michael's craft (wherever that is??) because I am looking for Christmas design mini bread pans. They are ceramic and darling and I want them to use for gifts.

If I don't hurry, they will be GONE. (If the store even has them in the first place). But I just DON'T WANNA!!

I'm pathetic.... I know. I just hate shopping. I always have.

Tick, tick, tick, tick,

2010-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

I took Michael to get his temple clothing today. He and Bryttan get endowed on Saturday and married the following Saturday.

I'm so proud! It was funny though, the lady waiting on us was extremely short..... and her head barely came to Michael's belly button. She had to have help to measure him as she can't reach his shoulders... unless she had a step ladder. LOL

I think this time.... it's REALLY gonna happen!!! LOL

brides and showers

2010-10-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Bryttan had her bridal shower yesterday. Got a lot of cool stuff. Karin and Angela did a great job of decorating and doing the game. I usually really HATE showers... of any kind..... but that one was fun. I loved the game Karin had. I'm going to use that myself if I ever have to throw a shower, or help somebody with one.

So...... George moved out of the compound in Lihue, and into the bossman's house. It's a really nice house, has security cameras and everything.... there's 12 guys living there and the compound is now empty. It looks like he may be there til mid-November.

Which would actually work out well. He wanted to take a month to 6 weeks off over the holidays so we can go to Texas to visit his family. And so he can just relax and not have to work for a bit.

And he wants to do some stuff here on the house.

He has several offers already for other jobs to go to at the beginning of the year, and I think he may take the one in Arizona. A huge 900 unit Marriot is being renovated. It's a TWO year job... but he will be closer than Hawaii! Anyhow, we will see how it works out.

Truthfully, long distance marriage is working fine for us. We miss each other, but we talk several times a day and it's just great.

He's such a good man. I love him dearly.

Retro Bridal Shower

2010-09-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday is Bryttan's bridal shower. I'm bringing a salad... either a fruit salad or frog eye salad.

I may opt for the fresh fruit so I can actually eat it. I'm back on Hcg. Just started this week.

So a retro, 50's type theme is kinda neat.

Hope I can find a cool gift. The bride is not registered anywhere.... so that makes it kind of hard....

But that just means we get to use our IMAGINATION!!!

I'm taking Friday off, to hopefully see the doctor about the cysts in my wrist. And so I will shop for a gift and stuff then.

Oh so scary!

2010-09-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Huge fire raging in Herriman. And that is where Elizabeth, Mike, Dave and Sheri live. Mike and Elizabeth live RIGHT where the fire is. And I haven't heard how things are with them.

I didn't get much sleep last night. Worried about them.

And Michael and Bryttan don't live too far from them either. If the wind were blowing north.....

As of this morning the fire is ZERO percent contained.

It's just sooo scary.

I hate the devastation that fire causes.

It's mesmerizing and frightening all at the same time.

We know at least 4 homes were destroyed. Which actually is a SMALL number considering how huge this fire is. But it's a devastation for those 4 families who have lost everything.

*sigh

2010-09-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

It never has been my nature to inflict pain on anybody. Yet sometimes, we do it without realizing how deeply the wound that is inflicted will be.

I realize I'm not perfect. And I make mistakes. Some big. Some small.

And it has NEVER been my desire to hurt people, especially those I love.

So if I have offended, hurt, disappointed, caused pain....... please know I have begged forgiveness. I am begging forgiveness.

Life is too short. Too short to hold onto negative. Too short to hold on to grudges. Too short to let wounds fester til they can never heal.

I honestly don't think I have much time left on this earth and I would prefer to live it joyfully. With my family. Whom I love dearly.

Please forgive me for the pain I have caused. Cast it aside, and embrace tomorrow with all of it's hopes, dreams, and promises.

May the Lord bless your heart and mind.

Dream Symbols

2010-09-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

David has been dreaming about scorpions. I've been dreaming about school. Karin has been dreaming about tornados. What does it all mean?

I did a little bit of research on dream symbols. Dreaming about a scorpion represents fear and anxiety. Fear of judgement, criticism, or "stinging words". That fits David to a "T". It can also mean a situation of tension, or unsettled emotions in waking life.

Dreaming about tornadoes has many interpretations, the spinning vortex can signify that one feels their life is spinning out of control. Tornados leave massive amounts of destruction, so it could signify that one feels powerless over some random misfortune. It also signifies fear. Tornadoes rip everything away. Are you afraid of something being torn from you? Is there a situation in life that you fear will cause you to lose everything?

Dream tornadoes can also mean abrupt life-altering changes. Maybe you're afraid a decision you make will change your life forever (marriage, divorce, new child, new job, a move, etc....)

It also says that if you watched "The Wizard of Oz" a lot when you were young, the tornado in the movie is seen as a portal to another land. If you associate strongly with that story, it can mean that you are wishing you could be carried away to a land of fantasy. Remember, as much as Dorothy desired escape, she realized that happiness was in her own backyard!!

My dreams of being in school are almost always the same.... I'm NOT PREPARED. I have lost the combination to my locker.... can't find my classes, can't find my locker.... have no money for food, can't find my way to the office.... I'm so FRUSTRATED in the dreams. And yeah... I'm frustrated in life too. I don't feel prepared. For ANYTHING. LOL.

;

Ganglion Cyst

2010-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since I had my carpal tunnel surgery and suddenly my wrist has started hurting again. I thought it might be a recurrence of the carpal tunnel. But apparently I have not one... but TWO ganglion cysts on my wrist and they are pressing on the nerve.

More surgery on the horizon. I have decided NOT to do the tonsil thing after talking to Bryttan who almost died getting hers out in August. (and I mean she LITERALLY almost died).

She and Michael are getting married Oct. 16th. I'm excited for them!!!

I've been letting David drive since he got his permit. Two nights ago he did a big boo-boo.... pulled right out in front of an oncoming car. Scared him. Scared me. But I held my tongue and did not scream at him.

Consequently, however, he did not ask to drive last night.

Weekend With George

2010-09-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Spent Thursday night at the Peppermill Casino in Wendover. Neither of us had been there before. We took a certain amount of money to gamble with and agreed that when it was gone... it was gone. We managed to amuse ourselves for 7 hours! George has the touch... Man... every machine he played he was winning. My luck was not as good but I had a lot of fun. Except they allow smoking in the casino.... I had the worst headache! Oh I hate the smell of cigarettes!!

We also amused ourselves for several hours at Nickel Cade. Wow... some of the arcade games there are so OLD!!! (Pac Man, Space Invaders)... we had a blast!! Again.... real cheap entertainment.

My our favorite place is Fat Cats. It's got pool, bowling, arcade, and the one in Ogden has mini golf. I didn't see golf at the SLC one. But we played arcade games and won 1470 tickets!!!! The kid at the ticket place said he had never seen anybody win that many tickets before. George picked out a lamp and told me to give it to David. (Its like a flashing intersection light).

Lots of families at Fat Cats. I just love that place. It's clean. It's fairly new. Its affordable. We had a blast. We planned to take David there, but I guess we will do that next time. He was busy out driving the roads all weekend.

I dropped George off at the airport yesterday and cried for 4 hours. LOL. I hate goodbyes.

He gave me the coolest gift. One of the guys he lives with in Kauai had a HUGE bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey (I think it's whiskey) anyhow... He gave George the empty bottle and George washed it out and had used it as a bank. He had a $100 bill inside, and $20s and tons of change. This thing must have weighed like 30 pounds. And he brought it home to me and said, "Here sweetie, this should cover your car repairs." (I had to spend $280 on tire alignments and stuff recently.) But he said I could NOT smash the bottle to get the money out. I had to figure a way to get it out so we can reuse that bottle for our "Go back to Wendover" fund for his birthday if he is here.

It took me TWO hours last night but I got all the money out and there was over $310!!!!

That was like the funnest gift he could have given me!!!

Shy Melly

2010-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE this pic! Just captured this shy little look on her face. David is getting really good at photography.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the stuff he is doing in his photography class on Thursdays.

I need to go see the doc again. I think either my carpal tunnel is back... or I have a tumor of scar tissue that has built up. Either way... something is not right. I had my surgery barely a year ago. And my wrist is hurting a lot lately and has a big bump on it.

My whole body is just falling apart. Seriously. It's getting kind of scary.

Need a Vacation.

2010-08-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Cannot wait for next week. I get to have 5 days of not working and just having fun with my hubby. We're going to go up Millcreek Canyon, spend the night in Wendover, shoot some pool somewhere (Maybe Fat Catz), and just enjoy being together.

I'm soooooooooo excited. I have missed him something awful.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

2010-08-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

I love this painting by Doc Christensen. If you really study it.... there is so much in it.

Side Note: Just one week from today my Georgie hops on a plane to come to Utah!

Yay!

I am an ADDICT

2010-08-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

And I cannot even say I am in Recovery. Nor do I want to be.

My free time at home is spent -- not doing dishes, cleaning, laundry, or interacting with my surly son.... No.......... I spend my time playing Text Twist and Bookworm.

I can't stop.

I can play for HOURS and it seems like a few minutes.

I can play past my bedtime.

I can eat dinner AND play at the same time....

Oh how badly do I need a life?????

Latest additions to the Smiley Gallery....

2010-08-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

We do try to keep ourselves amused. This is one I sent to him, but again, I had stolen it from the internet. The other ones are genuine "Georgie Smileys" that he made.

The bottom of a bucket. LOL. Love it.

This one has a little asian flavor to it... or is it just my imagination? LOL

And I still can't figure out what he put the smiley on.... That's GLASS!

Fun guy. He and I have so much fun together. We are two peas in a pod. He is the only person in this whole world that really, honestly "Gets me"... he understands how I think and he knows who I am.

And he is just like me.

I love him.

Put on a Happy Face.

2010-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

My latest contribution to the gallery of smileys from me and George.

I wish I could say I actually did this myself... but no.... I swiped it off the internet.

Cute idea though.

Excitement

2010-07-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

Things are winding down in Kauai and my George may be home soon.

I can't wait.

I miss him more than words can say.

Phone conversations are fun and whatever.... but nothing beats being in the same space.

Hurry home GEORGIE!!!!!!!!!!

My baby is so grown up!

2010-07-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Years ago, Mark and I went white water rafting down the Snake River in Wyoming. We did it a couple of summers.

It was fun... but scary for me.

David got to go down the same river a couple weeks ago.... that's him (the highest one on the left). He looks like a pro.

And he had the balls (sorry, I can't think of another word to use that is more appropriate) to go down the river in a KAYAK with his friend.

The kid is brave.

All my kids are brave. All my kids are very active in boating, biking, hiking, playing sports, etc....

They certainly did NOT get that from me.

But I'm glad they get out and live life and have fun. I enjoy watching from the side lines.... where it's safe........... and dry.............. :-)

Who says fish are dumb?

2010-07-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

My "April Fools" present (the fish in my cup) is still alive and swimming. I named him "George La Pez" which means "George The Fish" in english. He is no dummy. He gets so excited when I come to work in the morning! He sees me and starts practically jumping out of his tank. And he knows when he is going to get fed... he sees me reach for the food and he goes right up to the top of the tank in anticipation. And he is picky too. I have three different kinds of food for him and he wants what he wants... and if I feed him the wrong one... he won't eat it.

I thought cats and children were finicky!

Also... when I am at my desk.... he hovers on the left side of his tank -- the side closest to me.... he just stays there.... watching me.....

But if I move to the table to do work.... then he hovers over on the right side of his tank.... because that's the side closest to me if I am at the table.

It's so cute!! My little Georgie has personality!!!

Up until recently I wouldn't have cared if I came in and found him dead.... but NOW that I have noticed his excitement to see me.... and his personality.... I have bonded with the little bugger.

I think he needs a companion though. I may find him a girlfriend. :-) It's not good to be alone.

On the Mend....

2010-07-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been taking Shaklee Nutriferon for just TWO days and I seriously am feeling better already.

My tonsils are still large, but not AS large. Instead of a golf ball in my throat today it feels more like an avocado pit. And it's weird, my tonsils change size throughout the day.

My energy is coming back little by little.

It's not just the Nutriferon, but I am also eating a lot of antioxident power foods such as onions, garlic, green peppers, blueberries, strawberries.

And I'm excited to see George soon. I think that is the biggest energy booster. :)

I sure have missed that man.

Some sleep walk... I sleep shop!

2010-07-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

One time when I was on some medication for my neck... I started sleepwalking. I woke up at 2am outside in the middle of the street once. Another time I bought a Costco membership online... all in my sleep. And I bought something else too... I don't remember what now.

Well, I'm off the medication - have been for a long time. But I "sleep shopped" the other night. Apparently I bought a juicer.

I better be careful what I blog about. I blogged about wanting one.... and my subconcious made it so.

Well... at least I shop cheaply in my sleep.... the juicer was only $30. LOL.

Is she too cute for words?

2010-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

So this photo of Afton has nothing at all to do with what I am going to rant about.... but looking at it makes me smile.

What is up with stores? I recently went into Costco and to Fresh Market and they have totally REARRANGED their stores. I mean the aisles are all weird. They rotated the shelves so they run the opposite direction. Stuff that used to be on one side of the store has been moved to all different areas. They have weird stuff together... like cleaning products mixed in with the Tylenol.

Why? What? I hate it when stores do this because I like to go in there, know exactly what I'm getting, know EXACTLY where it's located, and just get in, and get out.

This disrupts my routine and causes me major anxiety!! I was beeyatching about it to the clerk at Fresh Market and he said they were getting 500 new items in and that by next week the store will be all rearranged and stocked.

Oh great.... Just what we need.... 500 MORE items.

I don't do well with "many options".

I know stores often do this so people HAVE to walk all around and they hope they will buy more because they will see things they didn't see before.

Well it's going to backfire with me. I'm shopping at Harmons now. I'm trying to buy locally grown produce and Harmons carries that.

I'm seriously not wanting to eat a lot of meat anymore. I just want to try to eat fresh foods as much as possible. I think it will help me to become healthier. I have never been so sick as I have been the past two years. My immune system is shot for some reason. I'm tired of it.

I am sick and tired of being "sick and tired".

Smileys revisited.

2010-07-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

Georgie and I have slacked on our smiley gallery lately. Shame on us! That's our symbol... our signature.... OUR THING.

He's been working his butt off lately to get ahead of everybody else. So now he leaves them messages.... the one above says "46 ahead of you".... because he is 46 showers AHEAD of the other workers. Yeehaw!

There is a method to his madness. He's hoping if he finishes way ahead of deadline, the Boss will let him come to Utah for a week or so before being shipped off to Oahu.

So we're keeping fingers crossed. I want him to see Utah in the summer! He's only seen the cold winter. I want him to know Utah is nice in the summer!!

He's going to make Utah his home.... so I want him to know it has its good points and it's not all cold, snow, rain, ice and blowing wind.

OOOOOOOOOOOh I can't wait to see my Georgie again. I miss him terribly.

Awww precious.....

2010-06-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

My dad with his newest great-granddaughter, Zoe.

I like that her eyes are open. And even though she is only a day old, she looks like she's smiling.

This blanket.... kinda makes her look like she has a monkey tail!!!

Rest and Relaxation.....

2010-06-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ok... so now I know I have mono. And my spleen is fine, but my liver is enlarged so I have to rest and take it easy as much as possible.

I'm thinking the best way to do that would be to go back to Kauai.

Just a thought.

I am sure I could get feeling really good if I spend the day by the pool again.... and walking on the beach.....

At least on the positive side (if there is a positive side to mono), I am already about half way through it because the first time my throat swelled shut was the day I got back from Kauai. (June 1). I'm in the "acute" phase (which is not so 'cute') and that lasts about 4 to 6 weeks in most people. (I'm not most people so with my luck this will drag on for months).

No, actually, I think I will be ok.

I have to rest. And eat healthy. Ok. I can do that.

I just hope George didn't catch it.

LOL

2010-06-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Mark and Angela got in a bind this morning and Mark called me at 6:15am (woke me up) to see if there was anyway David could babysit Melly Belly cuz she was under the weather and daycare wouldn't take her and the back up plan couldn't and he had to work the Sugarhouse store and Angela had 3 conference calls.

Well... David did not go to bed till 6am. But luckily.... I was off today so I volunteered.

It was fun. At first when she got here, of course, she didn't want her daddy to leave so she was rather clingy. Then she didn't know me from Adam so she wanted brother David. But I got down on the floor and played with her and won her over in about 15 minutes and she was stuck to me like glue for the rest of the morning.

I even got her to SLEEP!!

Poor baby. She is teething and she has a bit of a cold (runny nose) and that has to make anybody cranky and miserable. I found a teething toy and had David put it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it cold and she LOVED that. It felt so good on her gums. She was a happy camper.

Then after Angela picked her up, David and I went to see the new Shrek movie. It was pretty good. Not as good as the first and second but better than the third. A few parts of it were absolutely HILARIOUS --- "Do the roar!" is a line that will have you rolling.

Then I dropped David off at Marks and I am now home waiting for George to get home (to his Kauai home) and we will have our Friday night date night via telephone. We have committed to having a date night EVERY Friday night. It is tradition now and will continue after we are married. We have so much fun talking about just everything. Or reading to each other, or singing. Whatever strikes our fancy. We spend several hours on the phone on Friday nights. It's so good to always have a date night even if you are 3000 miles apart.

George sent me the book he wrote. It's 72 pages long. All written by hand. And illustrated. And colored. He is so proud of this book. I have read it 5 times. It gets better each time. It's kind of.... how shall I say.... "DIFFERENT." It is a "Spiritual Fairy Tale" and it is called "Enter My Kingdom".

It's a TRUE story about he and I. It starts in the pre-existence where we knew each other and loved each other and found out we were being sent to earth to different parts of the world and different families etc... and we were sad. Then it talks about how we were searching in our lives on earth.... that something inside of each of us was searching for the other... and how the Lord was watching all of this and through our lives he guided us on our paths so that we would find each other. It talks about how I prayed for my soul mate.... and how George prayed he would find somebody and how those prayers were answered. Then it talks about us getting married, and gaining exaltation.

It's a cool story. It rhymes in places, and um.... "tries" to rhyme in other places. George is SO PROUD of this story. He has read it probably 50 times. He wants me to have my kids read it. I don't care if they do, but because they don't really know him, our the real deep story of how we came together... they are gonna think it's a bit strange. But I think it's a wonderful love story and a really cool "spiritual fairy tale".

I have myself a really deep thinking man. I just love it. He loves the Lord very much and he understands many things about the gospel, even though he has not been taught about them yet. He JUST KNOWS.

I'm excited!!!

2010-06-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

So people have been asking me why I don't post a photo of my engagement ring. Well... the ring I am currently wearing is just the ring that I could wear to show people when they say "Oh let me see the ring!" It's aquamarine and white gold.

But the REAL engagement ring is being designed right now and it's going to be sooooooo gorgeous. It's got 23 diamonds in it. It will be yellow gold. I'm really thrilled with it. It should be ready in a few weeks.

That one I will definitely photograph and post.

David and I are heading out to see the new Shrek movie. I'm waiting for my doctor to call me and tell me if I can still get my epidural injection tomorrow. Since my tonsils are swollen, and I am on steroids, and they don't know WHY my tonsils are swollen, he may decide not to do it.

I stole this picture off facebook from a friend of Michael and Bryttan. I'm not sure if Bryttan's sister took this or if the friend (April) did. But I LOVE it.

UPDATE: Well, Shrek was sold out so we came home and bought tickets on Fandango for tomorrow. And my doctor called me and told me that he will NOT do my epidural injection while I am on steroids. So I had to reschedule for next Friday. Hopefully I can get it off work.

My throat feels like the swelling has gone down slightly but it still feels like I have a ball in my throat. Not a golf ball now...more like a plum stone.

I ended up spending $290 on two new tires and getting the car aligned. Drives much better now and is less likely to blow out while I'm speeding down the highway. Me and tires.... just don't seem to get along..... *sigh......

Scouting is for boys who WANT to do it.....

2010-06-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

None of my boys were really into Boyscouts. They did it for awhile, and then got sick of it. None of them got their Eagle and that is totally fine with me. My philosophy is this: If my son wants to participate in scouts... I am behind him 100%. BUT if my son does NOT WANT to participate, I am NOT going to force him. I am NOT going coerce him. I am NOT going to lay a guilt trip on him about it.

Scouting is not for everybody.

David and I got invited over to my old Bishop's house for dinner last night. We kind of wondered why... all of the sudden.... we get invited over. I figured they heard I was engaged and wanted to pump me for information. But.... actually they had NOT heard that news.

No........... we barely got in the door, and sat down to the table for --- I must say --- the BEST steaks David and I have ever had in our lives (Jeremy cooks a mean steak) -- when Bishop just jumps all over David about getting his Eagle.

It was uncomfortable. Because, I'm sorry.... but repelling down a mountain, and mountain biking, and hiking a 20 mile trail, and all that does not sound like a good time to me and it does not appeal to David either. If it did --- again --- I'd support it. But he doesn't want to do that. And these days with all the scouts that die while off on one of their activities..... I am not real thrilled with putting my son in that situation.

Besides, David doesn't like any of the other boys that are going and he will not be happy.

I knew though, there was an ulterior motive for having us over to dinner. And yes... I was right.

Man! Feel that wind blowing???

2010-06-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's from all the tongues wagging over the fact that I'm engaged.

Who really gives a fig? I mean, my family yes.... but it just annoys me that the neighbors even care. I'm not close to any of them. What is the big deal?

The one I didn't really care to have find out.... did find out because Athalee ran right over to tell her.

So I got a text from this person and she was trying to be all "sweet" (but I know she is PISSED that she was the last to find out).

She says "Tell me all about your new guy."

I said, "I'll tell ya later."

And when I see her.... I am saying this: "The reason I did not tell you anything is because he is Mexican. And I know how much you HATE Mexicans."