A Day at the Circus

Waiting is the Hardest Part

2009-11-30T12:05:00.002-06:00

OK I know that it has been 3 months since I have written anything. However, this is going to be the venue where I post baby pictures and daily updates too. We are in the overdue waiting game. Which is just feeding into the feelings of this isn't really happening. I used to go sit in the nursery all excited and anxious. Now I don't even hardly look in there. It is just another reminder of my occupied uterus. Not that the kicking, rolling and discomfort make me forget.

The other thing is that I think that my body is getting ready but just slowly. I lost the plug, I have been having mild contractions since Friday, I am dilated to 3 and 50% effaced. Just kick into gear already. You can do this on your own!!!

If this happens tomorrow, I will have escaped the shallow November ugly birthstone. Now the baby won't have it's own day. If I wait until Wed AM to have it Josh won't have much time home with us after birth. We thought that we were doing this Friday so he was off accordingly. He HAS to work on Monday because his boss is going to the Packer Game. But that doesn't give us very much time home together afterwards.....

I am just miserable here and bitchy!

Human Punching Bag

2009-08-29T09:12:00.002-05:00

Early in my pregnancy I waited and waited to feel the baby move. Not sure what it was going to feel like. Each little gas bubble was "Oh was that a kick? Was that movement?" Now it has become so deliberate and I can pretty much feel the baby moving every day. Especially after meals. Everything I read says this is a magical time and you will feel like you are bonding with your baby. I haven't quite felt that yet. I cannot get over what an odd sensation it is. Just to be lying on the couch and feel your stomach moving. Granted I have gotten used to it and this is MUCH better than throwing up. It is just weird!

The exciting thing is that Josh can now feel it on a regular basis and that helps him to feel a connection to the baby. He felt the baby for the first time 3 or 4 weeks ago. It felt like little fluttery movements to him because the movements were small. One night last week we were laying on the couch together and Josh had his hand on my stomach and he got drilled with a kick or punch. The look on his face was priceless. He could believe that really strong movement was the baby. I had to confirm it for him. Now those movements happen regularly and he can just put his hand on my stomach and hang out with the baby too.

Radio Silence

2009-08-23T08:48:00.002-05:00

This last month has been full of preparations which has whittled into my blogging time. Yes, I have spent a lot of time online however, it was looking and researching baby stuff. My dilemma started with the travel system. I knew that I wanted a matching car seat and stroller. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was finding a unisex one that is reasonably priced AND soft and comfy. My mom and I spent an afternoon at Babies R' Us and Baby Depot. I had it narrowed down to what brand I wanted, it was just a matter of picking it out. We met a nice couple between the 2 stores and they really narrowed it down to 1 for us. I am not sure if that is what they chose, but it is what I did!

Then came the crib bedding. What a nightmare. It is virtually impossible to find a TRULY unisex crib set. Especially without characters like Winnie the Pooh. I am NOT a Pooh fan at all! The shows are fine but, I think Pooh is WAY over done. I scoured the internet. I think I have looked every set of crib bedding currently made! I finally decided on a mix and match set from Target. When my sister was in town she, my mom and I went to pick up. There are 2 different sheets that you can get. Well they are closing out the sheets that I liked. So I have scoured the Targets of Madison and had to find them on ebay. The matching window treaments are also unavailable so I had to buy an extra sheet so that we could make a window treatment.

Lastly, the crib! There are TOO many crib choices out there! First you have to decide finish. Then if you want covertable or not. If you want to be coordinated you have to make sure it has a matching dresser or changer if you want it. Me I knew that I wanted a changer/dresser combo. I think that I will want to have changer but, I am not committed to that idea enough to purchase a separate piece of furniture. Eventually, I found a set that I liked in a color that I liked that was seemingly sturdy, There weren't any reviews for it online. It didn't scratch too easily and was a reasonable price. Which is all that I was asking for, which was apparently too much! Oh and by the way if you are a person who is contemplating having children in the future it takes 12-16 weeks to get a crib. So try not to wait until your 26th week to decide on something. You may be waiting until dangerously close to your due date for it to come in!

So that is what I have been doing for a month... I think all of the BIG decisions have been made. Now it should be smoother sailing and easier decisions.... Let's hope. Now we need to move onto daycare! I am not even sure what this parenting gig will hold and I am sure I will have a much different attitude about who cares for my child after s/he is born. How do I know what to ask now??!?!?!

All the stuff

2009-07-12T20:56:00.005-05:00

So we are officially over halfway there. I am starting to really get excited. I want to start registering and get all that fun stuff done. I have spent many evenings over the past few weeks cruising the internet and finding things that I like a lot. Then I check with Josh to see what he thinks. We have looked around Target and Babies R' Us. It is all so overwhelming!!! Plus it is very difficult for me to find something that I like.

We do have some favorites at the moment. I have a car seat and stroller combo picked out. HOwever, I am not sold on it. I have a back up that is colored similarly in case the one I like disappears from the market while I remain undecided. We have gone around and around on bedding. I have a crib and changer/dresser combo picked out that I like. Luckily they come in many finishes as I am not sure what I want it to be right now.

As I write this I have been surfing more things and becoming more undecided. I am off to bed with visions of car seats and breast pumps dancing in my head....

19 and 20 Weeks

2009-07-12T20:53:00.002-05:00

19 Week Update
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The hair on her scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, taking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

20 Week Update
You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (The way your baby is measured changes now.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Catch-Up

2009-07-05T20:16:00.003-05:00

The last month has been nuts. I have been crazy busy with work. Now that Q2 is over I hope I can be more relaxed. I have noticed quite a few changes recently.

1) NOTHING fits me anymore. I have to wear all of my longer shirts, I have switched to my maternity work pants and only have a couple pairs of shorts that fit. I did put on my maternity jean shorts yesterday and was incredibly comfortable. I clung to to wearing my regular pants for such a long time. I am not sure why because I am MUCH more comfortable in the maternity pants. Plus you don't have to mess with buttons when you have to pee like a race horse.

2) My stomach is getting bigger. Of course if stuff doesn't fit you would think that I would have noticed a change. I wasn't ready however for the noticeable change. Sure it mat not be noticeable to everyone, but it is too me. It isn't even the lower part where the baby is. It is more my uterus is pushing my stomach fat upwards in my stomach.

3) Gasiness in my stomach, I am not sure if these are baby movements or the increase gas that happens with pregnancy. I hope that they are but I cannot notice a pattern to determine if it is really the baby moving or not. I just cannot wait for Josh to be able to feel it. He is so excited and just needs something to make him feel more connected to the baby.

That is all that I can think of for now. I will be trying to write more since my life should be less stressful.

17 and 18 Weeks

2009-06-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

I know I am awful. I have been so insane at work I want to do nothing when I get home. That is now over. Give me a day to relax and I will update you shortly... in the meantime here is what Lil J has been up to the past 2 weeks.

17 weeks
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

18 weeks
Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, although he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

16 Weeks

2009-06-14T11:23:00.002-05:00

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

My dryer must be broken......

2009-06-12T23:34:00.002-05:00

This week I feel like everything that I put on has been shrunk on high in the dryer. It was especially bad Tuesday. I was wearing my super comfy size too big pants I got from my friend Pam when she was cleaning out her closet. I paired that with a tank top and a short sleeved sweater. I was tugging and pulling at my tank top and sweater ALL day. I just felt like my belly was showing. Even though it wasn't. It is definitely not pleasant to be feeling that way all day. I am clinging to my work dress pants right now. I haven't made the switch into my preggo pants. I have a couple pairs of capris that I can still fit into relatively comfortably. I think that actually needing those pants puts a level of realism to this that I am not sure that I am ready for.

It has all been sudden this week. I have really started to notice an actual change in my body. I had to go up in width and cup on my bras. I am going to have to special order them all soon. Josh told me so sweetly the other day that he thought that my "gut" was getting bigger. He also combated my "I think I am getting fatter" with "You are not getting fat you are just expanding". Sweet but he needs to be careful. He is lucky that I haven't actually been that hormonal. I think CRAZY hormonal Jess would have castrated him.

Other than that, not much new. I yacked this morning not sure why. Hoping that it is a fluke and not something I can expect to keep happening. I won't be worried unless it happens tomorrow too.

15 Weeks

2009-06-09T21:49:00.001-05:00

Here is the update for 15 weeks. I will post more before the 16 week I PROMISE!!!!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

14 Weeks

2009-06-01T14:32:00.002-05:00

I know I am late!! Sorry. Last week was a crazy one! It was a short/long week at work and I had some stuff to do to help get ready for the last graduation for our family for the next 19 years..... However, there has been no puking for a week and a half now! (knock on wood) I am super excited! I don't miss it one bit! I bought some new tops that can be worn all summer in preparation for the expansion of the belly.

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

13 weeks

2009-05-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

Friday we went to the Dr for my 2nd appointment. The Dr didn't do much. Ask us how things were going and chat. He told me that if the nausea hasn't gone away by this Friday call and he will prescribe something. Since Thursday, I have had little nausea, knock wood, Friday was still rough and Saturday was bad too. But, Sunday and Monday were ok. I still have the food aversions and really stinky stuff and set me off. However, random nausea for the fun of it hasn't been an issue. Again, knock on wood.

Oh I almost for got the highlight. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat. That was really cool but things still aren't feeling real to me yet. I am not sure what it will take for it to. I had to go buy my first maternity pants. My work pants were really starting to get too tight. I was able to buy 3 pairs. This week it is off to Lane Bryant to find some summery flowy shirts that will be able to be worn until I am showing too much.

A Preggo Friend

2009-05-18T22:42:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know my place of employment is in a baby boom. Of ~150 employees 16 babies were born last year. We are on track for 14 for this year including husbands. So there is a woman in our office that many have suspected is pregnant with number 2. She went out of town for ~3 weeks and we all speculated while she was away.

Well she was the first person I saw at work today and she came up and congratulated me. I looked down and congratulated her right back. She is a mere 10 days further along than I am. I am so excited! I have someone who is pretty much at the same stage. I was so jealous of all the women last year who were due within weeks of each other. They could talk about what they were going through and complain about their aches and pains. I wasn't sure I would have someone like that.

Oh by the way out of all the new moms at work only 1 of them threw up. The others were just nauseated, some pretty bad, but still 1??? Oh man! Maybe #2 will be better....... Oh wait... I have to make it through #1 first!!

12 weeks

2009-05-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Food for thought

2009-05-12T09:45:00.002-05:00

Last night I had a rough one that made me ill all evening. It got me thinking about what the worst thing to throw up is. Since I have had the joy of doing so much of it lately. I will start:

1. Sweet and salty mix-Sunflower kernels pummeling you in the tonsils is not pleasant and leads to much more gagging due to small lodged kernels.

2. Egg salad-total texture nastiness

3. Graham crackers-too sweet smelling

4. Bile-no explanation needed

Go ahead and add the worst things you have experienced in the comments....

11 Weeks

2009-05-08T18:38:00.002-05:00

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Stop Kissing Pigs!

2009-05-04T12:28:00.004-05:00

I am taking a time out from discussing being pregnant to have a commentary on the "Swine Flu "Pandemic"". This is a time that being a scientist drives my annoyance with the over-hype in the media. I understand that the CDC and the government want to be cautious and closing down the schools is the safest thing to do. However, it just adds to the intensity of the situation and the mass hysteria that is occurring. Mass hysteria that we can't even determine if it is justified at the moment since there is only 1 death at the moment out of a growing number of confirmed cases. UPDATED: The seasonal flu kills 36,000 in the US yearly... hmmm

Just an indication of the complete ignorance in worrying here are results posted from the Harvard School of Public Health.

But that same Harvard poll shows that 17% of participants said they are avoiding Mexican restaurants or grocery stores and 13% said they thought you could get swine flu from eating pork. You can't get swine flu from eating pork or any other foods, and there is no reason to avoid Mexican restaurants or other businesses.

Let's educate the masses instead of scaring them!!

So today here is a good list I found on WebMd.com today

7 Reasons Not to Over Worry

After a solid week of scary headlines about swine flu, it's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and regain perspective. Here are seven points to consider:

1. Most swine flu cases have been mild, so far. Severe cases have been seen mainly in Mexico, for reasons that aren't yet clear. But most swine flu patients have recovered without being hospitalized.

2. You're not defenseless against swine flu. Simple things -- washing your hands, not touching your mouth, eyes, or nose, and trying to avoid close contact with sick people -- can go a long way toward reducing your risk.

3. Most swine flu cases so far have been pretty much like normal, seasonal flu. Swine flu and seasonal flu share symptoms, and spread the same way.

4. How much do you worry about seasonal flu? Maybe you should give garden-variety flu a little more respect. In a typical U.S. flu season, an average of 36,000 people die of flu or flu complications, and about 200,000 people are hospitalized. Swine flu hasn't come anywhere close to that.

5. Swine flu's future is unknown. No one knows where swine flu is headed -- for better or for worse. "You don't know if it's going to fizzle out in a couple weeks or become more or less virulent or severe in the diseases it causes," CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, MD, said on April 29. "If we could see into the future [that] would be absolutely wonderful, but that's not the case. That's why we're being aggressive" in seeking to limit swine flu's impact on human health.

6. The world is more prepared than ever. Remember bird flu? When that was the "it" virus several years ago, the global health community ramped up its pandemic preparations. As a result of that work, "the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said on April 29.

7. Pandemics aren't all deadly." If the World Health Organization declares swine flu a pandemic, that's all about the spread of the virus -- not the severity of the illness. In the past, some pandemics have been mild, while others have been severe, notes WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl, adding that "people should act with common sense, not with panic."

10 weeks

2009-05-01T21:52:00.002-05:00

Although he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby now has completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

I looked at the baby's size from last week to this week and it practically doubled in size. No WONDER I have been so completely exhausted?!?!? 2-3 more weeks of this "crap" and I should feel better. I am really looking forward to the 2nd trimester. I want to be able to get up in the morning for work like I used too....

This is New.....

2009-04-29T22:23:00.004-05:00

So this week has had some interesting changes.

The exhaustion is back and in full force! Except however, when it comes time to sleep, I toss and turn. Which leads to getting up too late in the AM, late nights at work and more exhaustion.
Eating, I am SO hungry all the time. I am constantly snacking throughout the day. I literally cannot got 1 hour without shoving some sort of calories in my face. If it gets past an hour I get really hungry and nauseous and borderline gagging on air.
I hate the taste of water! I have to force down water. I have tried drinking kool-aid and caffeine free sodas, milk and juice but you still need 64-oz of fluids a day and I cannot drink that much of the above things. So, I choke down water.
Finally actual puking in the AM. Up until Sunday, I had vomited once in the AM. Starting Sunday it is happening pretty much every morning. I have found that a drink of water (maybe why I am hating the taste of it) goes a long way to throwing up something besides straight stomach acid. Monday I tried eating some graham crackers but those just came up too. Graham crackers 2 days in a row, well Sunday was Golden Grahams, equals no more eating them. My new routine is get up, drink some water, shower, get hair in towel, dry feet and legs, bend over toilet. At least I am getting used to it.
Gas, so this isn't new, but why don't they tell you that you will have gas so bad you put your husband to shame. A couple of weeks ago I woke both myself and Josh up by farting. Josh said he woke while saying "What the Fuck?" in his sleep. I just had to laugh, there was nothing else I can do. You want to know how bad it is? After dinner Saturday and cake Saturday and my family left. I was sitting in the kitchen with my brother in-law. I said man I have to fart. He told me to go ahead. I wowed even him, not by smell but by volume, sound and vibrating effects. He is a man who can clear a room instantly. That There really should be a disclaimer somewhere, VERY early in the pregnancy books to warn you and your spouse of this. It is NOT normal to have that much gas, NOT normal.

OK I am off to try and sleep. Let's see how that goes!

9 weeks

2009-04-23T19:42:00.001-05:00

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.

First Prenatal Appointment

2009-04-20T21:07:00.003-05:00

Today was my first prenatal visit with Dr Buss. My pre-appointment trip home did not go so well. Josh was cooking lunch when I got home. Scrambled eggs with peppers, onions, cheese and salsa. The smell hit me like a brick wall. I ran to the bathroom and lost my lunch. This was the worse episode yet. I had an egg salad sandwich for lunch (which I had been craving) and I had to relive it all. It was really not pleasant. I had been doing ok but I am tossing my cookies more frequently. Luckily not at work. I am not looking forward to that but, I feel like it will happen soon.

The appointment was very long, 2 hours from start to finish. The nurse went through all of our medical history. Then Dr Buss came in. He reviewed all of the information. Talked about nutrition, what is normal, when to call with problems, what medications are safe and a bunch of other stuff. He told me he wants me to eat healthy and only gain 10 lbs maximum. He is concerned that I will have a tough time with my joints if I gain too much. Plus if I eat healthy, I should be eating less crap and decreasing the fat content that I eat. Not that I eat all that much anymore.

It came time for the physical exam. Before I stripped I asked Dr Buss if we would be able to hear a heartbeat yet. I really wanted to hear it. He thought that it was too early yet. However, after I was in my sexy gown his nurse came in with the Doppler and they tried. They couldn't hear anything due to it being too soon. It was still nice of him to attempt it.

Then came the pelvic exam, for those of you women, this can be uncomfortable enough. I was just worried that Josh would be weirded out by another guy all up in my business. That isn't what was awkward, it was when Dr Buss asked him if he wanted to see my cervix. So Josh felt obliged to look. He got a guided tour of what to expect when looking inside the va-jay-jay. Then saw the pinhole that our baby will eventually come out. I shouldn't be worried about ruining any mystique around that area because, all will be lost when a baby comes screaming out of there.

Dr Buss said everything felt normal. He thought that the size of my uterus was inline with how far along I was which is validating. I go back May 22nd. I will be 13 weeks along. At the end of the first trimester and hopefully less nauseous. Plus we will definitely be able to hear a heartbeat!!!

8 Weeks

2009-04-16T17:04:00.003-05:00

Today is the official start of my 8th week. I love getting the e-mails each Thursday that tells me what Lil' J is up to for the week:

Your baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. His arms have lengthened, too, and his hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart. His knee joints have formed, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways.

If you click the links you can see the development and the above paragraph along with some other information.

Scared Stiff

2009-04-13T21:53:00.003-05:00

I went to lunch with my boss and her new little baby boy Dylan. Who is absolutely adorable. When I came back from lunch I noticed that I was "spotting" It wasn't anything normal like I experienced previously. So I called the Dr's office to be sure. I hate to be one of those people. But it was pinky, red and that concerned me.

My Dr's nurse called back ~20 min later and asked me if my boobs still hurt (yes), if I still felt nauseous (yes), if I had any cramping with the blood (no) and if we had intercourse lately (no). She then told me to call back if the bleeding got worse or cramping ensued.

Within an hour the bleeding had stopped and I was much relieved. I am just so scared that his miracle we have waited so long for will be taken away! Not today people! Not today.

Toilet Training

2009-04-12T22:30:00.003-05:00

Threw up tonight for just the second time. Finding that evenings are much worse than daytime. Something in the tummy is better but doesn't stop the wretching.. I can't stand puking! Plus Josh needs to get the Drop-In out of the toilet. The bleachy smell only makes the head in bowl effects worse.

IT REALLY HAPPENED!!!!!

2009-04-10T15:18:00.005-05:00

2 weeks ago today I woke Josh up screaming when my stick turned to this:

The bottom is the one tested in the AM of March 27th and the top was tested in the PM on March 27th. I also peed in a cup at the Dr's office on March 28th and that was positive too.
Based on my LMP we should be expecting our Lil'J (our nickname since we won't find out the sex) around November 26th. We are SUPER excited and cannot believe that this is finally happening for us!

I am planning on recording everything that is going on here so that you all can keep up with how things are progressing! So please stop back to keep in touch!!

Public Service Announcement

2008-04-22T13:49:00.006-05:00

Dear Circus Readers,

Never under any circumstances is it alright to ask a woman in "child bearing years" if they are going to have children. Variances of this that are also intolerable include but are not limited to:

"So are you planning on having a baby soon?"
"Oh you have been married x years it is time to start a family."
"Do you have children?" followed by "No, are you going to?"
"Your clock is ticking. You only have x good years yet."

This also includes variations of these statements to parents of adult child bearing aged children who are within earshot:

"Oh it is so sad that you only have 4 legged grandchildren"
"Oh you have 3 grown children and no grandchildren how sad?"

I am SICK of it! People, especially acquaintances, feel that making small talk includes prying into your sex life. Personally it is none of their God-damned business. I don't walk around asking you if you and your husband are having sex regularly. You would be offended if I did.

First of all not everyone wants to have children. Why should they justify this to people that they barely know? It is a personal decision to have kids. Secondly, how do you know that you aren't talking to someone who has been trying to conceive for a long time and it hasn't? How do you know if you are talking to someone who is infertile? Do you realize that you may send people into a downward spiral that may take them days to get over? Do you really want to be responsible for causing that person so much pain? Third, it is just a royal pain in the ass. Why should I justify to you, a person that I just met, my personal decision of when and how to start a family? I don't ask you why you drink, smoke, snort crack etc... This is along the same lines of asking a single person why they aren't married.

People are so damned insensitive!!!! Think before you speak people!!!!

My New Baby

2008-04-04T08:19:00.005-05:00

As of Monday at 5:30 pm I will be the proud owner of a BRAND NEW 2008 Ford Fusion!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited this is my first new car ever! It was getting to be time to trade in the old reliable Focus. Let's hope that I don't crash it before then...

Google is Mean

2008-04-01T07:27:00.007-05:00

This is Google's Idea of a April Fool's Joke.

Google Custom Time:

I admit I was fooled! Good thing Justin reminded me it was April Fools Day.....

No, the banging I hear is not my headboard.

2008-01-01T22:12:00.003-06:00

Since the beginning of November I have been suffering terrible headaches. It all started with an ear infection and what I believed to be a sinus headache. 2 weeks later my ears were healed and my head was still pounding. It was so severe that I would walk somewhere and by the time I got there my head would be pounding so badly I would have to stop and either sit or stand still for a few moments to gain my composure before moving on. I was also suffering major nausea. I went to see my doctor, Dr B, and he prescribed some painkillers and anti nausea meds, diagnosing me with tension headaches. He told me to try and relax and to watch my posture and ergonomics and come back if I did not feel better. Well, after that weekend my heart started going bonkers! I was having what I felt was like panic attacks. I would feel my heart racing and a rapid pulse in my neck. My pulse would be ~100 standing still. So I went back to the Dr that following Monday. I saw the Dr on call, Dr V, because Dr B is VERY popular! Dr V performed an EKG and didn't see anything. He ordered a Holter Monitor, which is a portable EKG, to see if any of my palpitations and rapid heart rate episodes would be picked up. I was hoping to see Dr B to get my results however with the holidays coming up I could only get into see Dr V before Christmas and with my headaches still bothering me I took what I could get.

Up until that point I was very happy with Dr V. I thought that he was VERY thorough and nice, he looked me in the eye and covered all the bases. He refused to take blood, as he didn't see a need. Which personally I thought was weird, but I am not a Dr what do I know. I went into the appointment and heard the results that there were weren't any irregularities that lined up with what I was feeling and the irregularities that were there were completely normal for a person of my age and "shape".

I told Dr. V that I was still having my headaches and then the whole appointment spiralled out of control. The man that I felt was informative was suddenly bombarding me with information about migraine medications and preventives and rescue meds. Did I have migraines? I thought it was tension headaches. Aren't we going to try something else before these anti seizure meds? I am not this person! When did I become this person? How did I get here? Can't we look at my blood maybe something is going on there? look there, please look! Look at these side effects... tingling in my fingers and toes, disorientation, confusion, memory loss, mental or physical slowing or delays, drowsiness, dizziness, loss of appetite (hey that may be a plus), chest pain, stopping of sweating, depression, irritability, mood swings, dry mouth, sore throat.... can any of this be safe? I walked out of that office feeling so lost. I cried the whole way home. I got home and collapsed into Josh's arms and I didn't know what to do.

The next day I went to work and talked to the resident headache expert. A woman who has suffered migraines for 7-10 years. We had a long talk in which she made me feel better about the rescue med Zomig (which to turn geeky on you for a minute is a GPCR which is the type of drug I would work on in my daily job) which she is on and she loves. She has heard mixed reviews about the Topamax. Mainly she has heard that it makes you dumb and skinny and is known as the California headache med. After talking to her. I resigned that I would try the meds and see what happened.

Needless to say I was scared to death to take any of it. I didn't want to become this disorientated person who couldn't function in day to day life. I wanted to be as close to myself as possible. I had a terrible headache the day that I got the prescription fill but refused to take the rescue med because I was scared. The one sided effect they told you about was that there was tightness in your chest after you took it. So I went home and took the preventative before bed and slept restlessly that night. I was so afraid of how I was going to wake up. To be honest I noticed a difference first thing in the morning. I could tell it was like a fog moved in. I proceeded to take the meds. Then on Christmas Eve I got a killer headache. It was finally time to give in and take the rescue med. It is the weirdest feeling. It didn't feel like someone sitting on your chest like they said that it would feel. It honestly feels like all of the blood vessels in your head and neck are contracted (that is because they are) and then it all stops, the pain everything. You are left with a little tingling throughout that area and then you are done! You are tired, but I cannot tell if it is from the Topamax or the Zomig (the rescue).

Everything was going OK until I had to up my dose to 50 mg of the Topamx so 25 mg twice daily once in the morning and once at night. Man was I high as a kite. I could not function at all. I would get distracted in the middle of doing something to do another thing and get distracted with that and so on until I had 4 or 5 things started and nothing finished. Finally New Year's Eve I called my Dr B and told him that there was no way that I could live like this. I couldn't eat. I was hardly sleeping through the nights. I had no will to do anything. Every task I tackled seemed daunting and impossible. So much so that I didn't even want to start. I couldn't drive for at least 6 hours until the "high" wore off. He immediately took me off that drug and put me on Amitriptyline. I am on my second day of that. I feel normal. Well as normal as I have felt in 2 1/2 months. Dr B also yelled at me to take my Zomig when I had head pain. It didn't have to progress into a full blown headache before I took it the pain was enough. I am starting to see what is causing my headaches. For instance I am a clencher. When I sit and do anything my jaw is usually clenched shut. I need to learn to stop that. I will just keep watching to see when I notice other things.

Brett Favre Tribute from the Greatest Athletes

2007-11-23T18:15:00.002-06:00

The Soprano's

2007-11-06T21:03:00.002-06:00

You may not know that I am a Soprano's fan. I just watched the last episode. I don't know that I get it. I do know that I didn't hate it. I think that it was easier for me to watch it after it was released on DVD because I was able to learn things about the episode that I would not have remembered because the last time I watched many of the episodes was 2 years ago while I was high on Percoset. Talk about crazy dreams when you are mixing the Soprano's and painkillers.

I think that David Chase left it up to you the viewer to decide how you thought that it ended. Maybe Tony was shot by any one of the sketchy characters. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe he was shot between the episodes and this was his purgatory. The place where he had come clean with all of his demons before he passed on. All I know is that it made me want to start the series over.

Josh never got into the series when I was watching it. Mostly because he came home and I was on a different season than I was when he left. I literally went through 4 or 5 seasons in less than a week. I wasn't very sure about them to begin with because I am not a mob movie fan. However, when I watched them I got sucked it. I hope that if/when I do watch them again Josh will be able to enjoy them with me because I really think that he would like it.

There is some justice in this world

2007-11-02T11:47:00.003-05:00

Kansas church liable in Marine funeral protest - Yahoo! News

I really feel that this was the right ruling here. Josh and I have been e-mailing back and forth on this morning. It is people like this that give Christianity a bad rap. They feel that one judgment isn't enough they must act on behalf of God. Why make people's life miserable why they are alive? To make themselves feel better? To cover their discomfort? It is so frustrating, yes this is an extreme case. However there are plenty of people that you encounter in your everyday life that it is their duty to judge and punish people for being different.

I just want to get up and say "Can't we all just get along?"

My Brett, Our Favre!

2007-10-30T11:05:00.003-05:00

Hip New Doctor

2007-09-06T12:36:00.003-05:00

Or.... New Hip Doctor.

So as you all know I have my hip problems. At last year's appointment my doctor pretty much told me to go on with life until I needed a hip replacement. It wasn't very helpful. I was so disappointed. He also told me to get my right knee checked out as he was pretty sure that was what was causing my continued hip pain. Well, after my knee is all said and done the hip has still been bothering me.

I have recently resigned to the fact that I will always limp and I will always be handicapped. That was a big step for me. It is hard for someone to admit that they will never lead a "normal" life. For me it was watching my sister's wedding video. It was so hard to watch. After that I just lost it!!! I sobbed uncontrollably for probably 20 minutes. Poor Josh didn't quite know what to do. However, at that point I accepted that I have to live with the body that I have got and there really isn't anything that we can do about it.

So this summer the left side of my lower half has started to bother me. So after talking to my wonderful therapist Marc we decided that it would be a good call to have Dr. Graf check out my knee and to visit the doctor that my hip surgeon referred me to keep an eye on the hips. As all doctor's in the UW system it takes about 2 months to get in when you are a new patient. So my wait was finally up last week.

I went to my appointment with Dr Illgen not quite knowing what to expect. In all honesty I was expecting the same brush off that I got from my surgeon. I was just going to be happy with someone looking at my left side and telling me not to worry or see you in a year. I was surprisingly mistaken. I LOVE DR ILLGEN!!!! If I weren't happily married I would marry him! The whole demeanor of my appointment was relaxed and studious. There was no abrupt decisions or shock factor. The Dr spent most of the time studying every x-ray that I have had taken over the past 2 years and watching the evolution of my hip joint. He didn't neglect my feelings. He was straight but gentle with me about my hip. He told me that within the next several years that I would need a hip replacement. My right hip has degraded so much even in the last year. He wants to watch my hip very carefully and make smart moves. Because I am so young I have a lot of time ahead of me (so I hope) so the plan has to be laid carefully. We talked about how to include a family in this and different steps depending on how things go. I walked out of that appointment feeling better than I have in a long time.

The first time I walked out of Dr. Mann's office I cried! This time I cried too but, for joy! For finding someone that I loved so much that can help me along this crazy path that I have been on. Someone to validate what I was feeling. I never knew that I needed that validation until last Friday. Until Dr Illgen told me that "If he had to live with a hip like mine he would cry everyday." What kind of Dr tells you that? A compassionate one. One who wants to help. One that you can truly believe in.

California Day 4

2007-09-04T21:20:00.001-05:00

Our fourth day in California was my favorite day there. I would have to say it was they day I was looking forward to the most. We took the last day as a sightseeing day for just Josh and I. That was the best decision about the trip that we ever made. Friday morning we left our sketchy seaside resort and headed back to San Francisco. Along the way there were many neat things to see. Although we traveled the same highway it was earlier in the day and we missed all the excitement along the way.

Below is a picture of one of the MANY farm fields we passed along the way. It isn't all that clear but the fields were FULL of migrant workers. There was field after field of them picking produce.

After we made it to San Fran and checked into our hotel we decided to try out the 49 mile drive. This is a drive that was set up by the tourism department to help get people to come and see the city. The route starts in the center of the city and weaves through places like Chinatown, Japantown, the financial district and then heads out to Fisherman's Warf, the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge (which we did not see due to fog). Below are some pictures along the way.

One of the many famous landmarks in San Francisco is Lombard street. It is a street that had to switchback to accomidate for the very steep grade of the hill. You may have seen it in movies and Grand Theft Auto. Here was our view:

We had to stop at Fisherman's Warf. This area is a tourist trap!!! I think that parking was $6/half hour. We stopped just to say that we were there and to catch a picture. There is a Ghiradelli Square there but we didn't see it until we got back into the car. Apparently there is cheap broken chocolate available there.

Here is the biggest highway that we drove on. There are 12 lanes (6 per side) It was crazy!

Finally, here is a picture of the fog rolling in. It was amazing how the fog sucked in the the mountains and then they would be gone. We had never experienced anything like it!

Sorry that it took so long to get this all posted. But that was our trip!

California Day 3

2007-08-06T19:52:00.001-05:00

There is not a lot of good things to say about our day 3 in California. I was hungover as all hell and we visited the same damn beach as we did the day before. I was really wanting to see the Hearst Castle but that didn't happen. I didn't get to eat any seafood because I couldn't stomach it and Josh tried Thresher Shark. This is a view from our hotel room that night. As you see we are RIGHT on the ocean. The hotel was an old beach inn. It was kind of sketchy.
We went to a farmer's market in a nearby town for dinner and sightseeing. There was a ton of fresh produce. I had the BEST clam chowder I have ever had in a yummy garlic bread bowl. Other than that not much to report. We fell asleep to barking sea lions and crashing waves. That was the best part of this day.

California Day 2

2007-07-30T21:07:00.001-05:00

On our second day in California we visited Morro Bay. This is a very interesting beach on the central coast of California. We drove a very windy hilly road to get from the hotel in Atascadero to get to the ocean. Once you got to the coast there was a considerable drop in temperature. Below is a picture of the famous "morro rock" This rock was formed 23 million years ago from plugs of 2 extinct volcanoes. This rock is closed to any climbing or disturbances like mining to preserve it's beauty.

While we were there I stuck my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life. The water was VERY cold. I would guess the temperature at ~50 degrees F. There was a surfing class going on at the time of our visit and all of the kids had dry suits on to protect them from the water temperature. On this beach we found several neat shells and even a sand dollar.

While that side of the rock was beachy and smooth the opposite side of the rock was rocky. I
chose not to climb the rocks, Josh and his family climbed all over and saw several neat things including sea lions and starfish. We have a really neat picture of this area that we put in black and white and are going to frame and put above our couch in our living room. Grandma Flossie and I sitting on a bench while Josh and the family climbed on the rock ledge I got FRIED while sitting there.

After our adventure at Morro Bay we headed to Pismo Beach to the resort where the wedding was happening. We ate fish and chips at a little outdoor place called Brad's. The food was great even though we were harassed by pigeons the whole time. After lunch it was time to head to the resort to check in and get ready for the wedding. Just an FYI for anyone who travels to California, beach resorts do NOT have air conditioning!!! So if you are hot and sunburned a cold shower is your only bet to cooling off. The ceremony began at 6:30. It was short and sweet. It was a very God centered ceremony. Much of what you would expect from Josh's family. Here are some pictures from the ceremony.

Instead of the traditional unity candle Ben and Jenelle mixed sand from California and soil from Wisconsin to signify their union. That was a really neat idea. I was surprised that they were able to get the soil from Wisconsin to California and back.

The dinner was exceptional. The food was great and the drinks were strong. We had an overall good time. There were about 45 people there total. There was just food, cake and fellowship. What wedding wouldn't be complete without cake smashing, so here is your picture.

The day went by quickly and I ended up pretty drunk on tequila and our complimentary bottle of wine.

California Day 1

2007-07-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

We arrived in not so sunny San Francisco, California on Tuesday, July 11th at approximately 1:45 pm. The flight was early arriving so we were excited to have the extra time. We were going to miss the rehearsal because of our flight but were early enough to give us a little wiggle room before dinner. We were looking forward to being able to check into our hotel and freshen up a little bit after a long plane ride and a 3 1/2 hr car ride. Now those baseball fans would know that July 11th was the day of the All Star game in San Francisco. When we arrived at the rental car counter they were out of compact cars and wanted to give us a minivan. I refused to drive a minivan. I told the gentleman at the counter such a vehicle. He had to "search" the system. We walked away from the counter why he searched. I was called back to the counter and offered a Pacifica. I refused that as well because that is pretty much the same thing as a minivan in my mind. Finally we were offered a Chrysler 300 for the same price as the compact car. Finally 1/2 hr later we were finally on the road.

The ride to Atascadero was very interesting. There were a lot of really neat things to see. The one thing that I noticed how brown the landscape was. We saw green only when we passed farm fields and vineyards. We have never driven in or near mountains before. The miles and miles of grapevines that we saw was staggering.

More Grapevines with mountains in the background.

Another thing that we had never seen before was an oil refinery with oil drills. Dotted along the mountains and road side were small oil drills.

One of the last interesting things that we saw was the sign posted below:

We found out later that evening that there was either a prison or mental institution near by. In the background of this picture is a bell. These bells were along the highway about 1 hour apart. They were mission bells commemorating all of the missions in that area.

We arrived in Atascadero just in time for the rehearsal dinner. We enjoyed a pizza at the restaurant that Jenelle, (Ben's now wife) ran previously. It was a nice little place and the pizza was good. The cake we enjoyed that night was from the Madonna Inn. Check out the link it is a VERY unique place their guest rooms are very interesting. The cake was FABULOUS!!

We returned to the hotel to check in around 9 pm and turned in for the night exhausted!

I'm Working on it

2007-07-17T07:32:00.001-05:00

We got back from California on Saturday night. I am working on a series of posts, including pictures, to tell you all about it. It was an interesting trip!

My $100,000 Leg

2007-06-11T17:11:00.001-05:00

I have been meaning to write for a couple weeks now. I looked at the date and cannot believe that it has been a month since I posted. I guess that is because time has flown.

I have been trying to start this exercise regimen. Well actually, I am successful at half of it I guess. My WONDERFUL therapist Marc has an exercise regimen set up for me. I am to ride my bike one day, walk the next and take the following day off. Rinse and Repeat. My goal is 5 miles biking and 3 miles walking. Well I am 1.5 miles away from the biking goal and think that I will reach that. However, the walking thing just isn't going well. I just don't think that I like walking. It is too slow and boring for me. I am only up to 1.2 miles and cannot seem to get past that. I have been Nordic Walking. It is really great for cardio and it works your tummy and your legs so that is a bonus. It is just too hot for me to do this. I get hot and "melt" as my mom calls it and I just feel like I am going to die. I am not, but I feel like it.

The thing is I need this success to move on with my life. I love Marc dearly! I am so happy that I found him as a therapist but, I need to move on. I need to get past this chapter of my life and move onto the next. A year ago I was more than ready to get onto bigger and better things and then my knee started bothering me. This year, I keep living in fear of the next pain, the next problem. This is such a fear I think that I am having a hard time moving past it. I have started to notice little twinges and small pains in my left hip and knee. I panic because I am just waiting for the floor to drop out from under me. Waiting to hear that I need surgery on that side too. I feel like I have been limited for so long. That I am always going to be that way, like I will never be able to lead a normal life. I want to be able to not worry about my body. I want to be able to do things normal people do.

Marc is really starting to prepare me for life without him in it. He is advising me on my future. The fact that I can NEVER stop exercising. I have to keep moving, whether it is biking, walking, swimming or all of the above. I think that I can do that but then not doing it is so easy. I have to remember to push myself. To say "OK, it is exercising time. Lets get out there." It is a hard change to make. I don't know why I keep fighting it!

Let There Be Darkness

2007-05-11T14:07:00.001-05:00

You always hear that having a home eats up your time. As a renter you never believe that a house could be that much more work. After all what is a little mowing and snow shoveling right? I guess it is a little more than that. We have been busy with house stuff. Mowing, weeding, picking, cleaning and much more. On April 22nd we placed an order for window treatments to replace the 3 sets of UGLY vertical blinds that were located in the house. We chose April 22nd because JC Penney’s was having an incredible sale. The Bali products were 70% off. On top of that it was friend’s and family day so we got an extra 20% off. Plus, we opened a Penney’s card and got an extra 10% off. So we ended up buying 2 large blinds for $400 instead of $1900. Which was a fantastic deal!! We then went home and did some shopping online. JCP has some French door panels that are attached to your door by Velcro and they can either hand straight down or can be rolled up by hand and there are straps to hold them up. It was nice because the set that I found had a valance that matched. I did a REALLY good job picking out the colors online. They panels are VERY functional and you can keep the sun (heat) and peeping toms out at the same time.

This week the blinds came in. The living room blinds came on Monday. It was nice because with custom purchased blinds you can put 3 blinds on one header. The blinds are then hung at the same level and you don’t have to measure. It was cheaper than buying 2 small blinds and 1 big blind. So we installed those on Monday and it really changed the look of the living room! Yesterday the blinds for the bedroom came in. Josh was happy to remove the last set of vertical blinds. We both hated the looks of them. What was worse was that the blinds weren’t really functional. You had to open and close the whole thing to let light in they wouldn’t turn sideways anymore. After we moved we found out that they were aimed the wrong way and the gears were worn down. So we decided to get something functional. Also, the blinds were thin and light easily shown through and it made it tough to sleep past sunrise. During the week that is fine. However, I like to sleep in on the weekend. That was pretty much the last thing that we wanted to change. We have to find curtains for the living room. Then we should be done for a while. Gardening is next. So we move from the inside out. Fun Stuff!

In Your Face Howard Stern!

2007-04-19T07:45:00.001-05:00

I am so happy this morning because the no talent, scary haired freak Sanjaya has finally been voted off American Idol! Each week was more painful to watch than the last. Especially after he stayed and Gina Glocksen got booted. Now I can truly enjoy the show without having to dread his hideous hair and slow painful murder of a one good song! Good bye Sanjaya once and for all!!!

A+ in Therapy

2007-04-09T21:22:00.002-05:00

One of my major concerns, and reason for withdrawal these past couple months, has been my knee. I had intended to write while I was off recovering from my surgery. However, my body had different plans for me. The day or two after surgery my leg started popping. Popping like it did before surgery. As you can imagine this hit me really hard. Here I was going through this painful experience and then to feel my knee pop just like I had never had surgery, was very hard to deal with. I knew that it was making me an unpleasant person to be around. I just ignored that and pressed on. It wasn't until three weeks ago at therapy that I lost it. I am glad I lost it there instead of my doctor's office the next day. However, losing your composure is something you really don't want to do.

My therapist Marc is WONDERFUL! I am so glad that we have found each other. He has been fantastic in helping me recover from my hip surgery and guiding me through my knee surgery. That day he went through and showed me how my knee was recovering. He pointed out the problems but showed me the promising things and told me to keep working and things would be getting better. That day I made a promise to myself to really try hard and work hard in the pool and do my exercises at home. I have kept that promise to myself and worked on things at home and pushed myself hard at the pool. I have seen a difference in my strength in fact I climbed 2 flights of stairs this weekend on my own. That is something that I haven't done in over 2 months.

I haven't seen Marc in a couple weeks because we have been alternating between him and his assistant and then he went out of town. Now I have to great guys looking out for me. In fact I was walking in the therapy room today and his assistant was watching me too. Marc told me that I have made the most progress since my surgery in the past three weeks. He was very happy with what I was able to do. He still notices some limp and snapping back of my knee but overall much better. I am so happy that I have been able to accomplish this. I really hope to keep it up and to not have anything else go wrong!

I'mmmm Baaaaaaack

2007-04-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

I finally have something to write about that is exciting. I got a promotion yesterday! I am now an Associate Scientist III. It comes with a big fat raise! I am so super excited!!!! I needed something new and exciting to spur me onto writing again. It isn't that things have been that terrible. It has just been a hard past 3 months. Between the my surgery and my mom's and rehab and crazy work the time has flown. I hadn't meant to stop writing for three months but hopefully it has inspired my passion again.

Temporarily Speechless

2007-01-29T21:15:00.002-06:00

I am taking a break.... We have been busy around the house. Work has been insane. I am enjoying the silence.

I will be off for knee surgery Feb 8th-16th. Maybe I will be up to talking by then. So many things in my head I just don't have the energy to type them up.

See you soon!

Honey I'm Home

2007-01-09T14:58:00.001-06:00

This weekend we moved into the house. I think that this was our fastest move yet. By 12:30pm Saturday afternoon everything was in the house except for the garage stuff that had to be left because there wasn’t room. We had been moving boxes every time that we went to the house so all of that stuff was there already. In the past we had to move stuff and boxes all at once.

I have been very happy with how everything has come together. The only room that I wasn’t sure about the arrangement was the family room since the design is kinda funky. However, the way that it had to be arranged (due to the location of the cable outlet) turned out quite nice.

I am very happy with how the color choices made fit with all of our stuff. The bathroom turned out smashing and our bedroom is just gorgeous! I feel nothing but comfy and cozy in our living room and could spend hours staring at our red accent wall in the kitchen. It is odd to hear people speak of my bold color choices because I really don’t think that they are that bright. The colors warm the house up and just make you want to spend time there. Each room draws you in more than the last.

Now we face the dubious task of shopping. Since we have two spare beds I need to pick out another comforter set. There is the issue of lighting. There are not really any lights on the ceiling so we have to buy lamps for some of the rooms. I have had my eye on a set of lamps from Bed Bath & Beyond. We have to find window treatments for all of the other rooms now. The blinds are nice but, I want something to go over them.

It is crazy how smoothly every thing has gone. The only SNAFU so far has been a mix-up with a programmable thermostat. Although it caused a lot of stress at the time, it was an easy fix and it wasn’t even our fault! Already it seems like we have lived in our house forever and we have never lived anywhere else. I hope that I don’t get so comfy that I forget that we have an apartment to clean.

I am content

Is this the end?

2007-01-02T08:48:00.002-06:00

she who holds invite to housewarming

2006-12-30T07:57:00.001-06:00

It has been a crazy busy week. With all of the travelling to celebrate, work and visiting the house we really haven't had a spare moment to relax. Our main focus for the week is getting the house ready for painting. We spent one whole night washing walls and removing light switch covers and vents all in preparation of the painting party we had at our house Friday.

My FABULOUS aunts She who gives out Indian names and She who bangs stick into walls volunteered to help us paint. They enjoy painting and are damn good at it. It was a day that I will cherish forever. We don't see each other enough and to have them there making our house into a home meant more to me than they will EVER know!! We had SO MUCH fun! We spent the day talking, laughing and catching up on everything. Windows were almost taken out, paint was spilled and walls were painted. The day went by so fast it was such a blur but the end product was well worth it!!

At one point in the day we had 5 people manning painting utensils! It was amazing! My mom stopped by to help and visit while on her way through to Farm and Fleet. It has been hard for her as she has wanted to help but hasn't had the energy to do it. Which is fine as we know she isn't feeling well and would rather have her rest than come over and wear herself out even more.

We painted the living room a color called wooded path. All I can describe it as is a dark sagey olivey green. It is absolutely gorgeous! It is so warm and cozy. The kitchen hallway is painted Basketweave, also know as Crikey Khaki or Blimey Brown as the color reminded us of Steve Irwin's pants, with an accent wall of Brick Fleck. The red has been more challenging than I expected. The 5th coat sealed the deal and it is BEAUTIFUL! Thanks to all of our help we went home on Friday night with a painted living room, kitchen, hallway and the majority of an entryway.

Saturday was another productive day. She who gives Indian names called and asked when to come and help. When she left on Friday night she said that she may be back on Saturday. She spent the whole day painting the bathroom. If we had thought about it we would have primed the bathroom on Thursday night. At that point I wasn't sure what color I wanted to paint it yet. Josh and I finished the bedrooms downstairs which is great because we really don't have to0 much more to paint. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

We are so grateful for all the help. I am not sure what kind of nightmare it would have been without it. I have never painted before and I actually really enjoyed it. I think that I may actually be good at it too.

All is Calm, All is Bright

2006-12-23T09:52:00.001-06:00

Busy, Busy week!! The closing on our house went wonderfully! I cannot believe how EASY it all was. I kept waiting for something to pop up and screw it all up. I wasn't even overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork. We have been VERY busy over there. Right after the closing we went to Menards to buy supplies for the house. Paint was on sale so we bought a bunch. I hope that we got enough, but we weren't sure how much we were going to need so we guesstimated the best we could. We have spent pretty much all of our time there removing wallpaper borders and cleaning all of the glue off the wall.

We have so many ideas of things that we want to do our heads are swimming. We have categorized them as immediate, before the housewarming and someday. It is really hard for me because we are changing the color scheme so dramatically. I just want to change everything. I think with the colors that we have picked bronze or wrought iron will be our choice of fixtures throughout the house. Those are things that we are going to want to change slowly, but I am pretty excited to do it and want it done NOW! Josh is good at grounding me and reminding me of the money end, which coincidentally I am always reminding him of.

Needless to say, we are VERY excited about owning our first home! We cannot wait to get in, but at the same time realize that there is SO much that we want to do before we get there. The walls are filthy. I know that we are painting but I wonder how people live like that. I am sure it just happened, especially since they were not living there. EVERYTHING needs to be scrubbed! The showers are so filthy and they are just taunting me every time I go into the bathrooms! The cupboards need cleaned. I want to take down all of the lights (not that there are many) and run them through the dishwasher. Everyday we see something new. Yesterday while removing glue we took down the window treatment in the master and the blinds (vertical) are so filthy so we have to vacuum them. The list is never ending!

T minus 43 hours and counting

2006-12-13T15:20:00.001-06:00

We close on our house Friday at 10am. I am SO excited that I have been driving my co-workers a little crazy with my constant jabbering and ranting. I don't really get nervous until I think about it and then I want to puke! There is just so much that I want to do that I cannot even fathom it. I keep thinking of new things like putting in a programmable thermostat and buying a new chandelier for the dining area. We cashed in our change bottle and we should have enough in there to buy at least 4 gallons of paint, depending on price.

On top of the excitement of the house closing we are going to a Packer game on Sunday! I am really hoping that my knee doesn't interfere with my walking too much! I would be severely pissed if it did as I am really looking forward to the Packer game! This may be the last time we have a chance to see Brett Favre at Lambeau Field. Who knows if he is going to stick around another year or not!

Untitled

2006-12-04T15:48:00.001-06:00

It has taken me a long time to decide on whether to write this post or not. I finally decided that I had to write this. My sanity has come to depend on it. I need to get this out and on a screen as maybe it will help me deal. This is what a blog is supposed to do. It would have been too hard a month ago but, I am ready. This is mostly what has kept me away from here and posting so infrequently. I would be writing but there is a huge elephant in the corner staring at me. This is the majority of what is going on in my life right now. Mom, I hope that you are OK with this!

My mom has Breast Cancer. We found out the second to last weekend in October. A family meeting was called and no one knew why. We have all coped with this in different ways and none of us very well I am afraid. I think that I am still stuck in the first stage of grief which is denial currently served with a side of depression (I can cry at the drop of a hat). I had truly thought that I was on my way to acceptance until my mom shaved her hair off because it started to fall out. I lost it! Not only did I lose it in front of my mother that day, but that evening with Josh.

I lost it because for the first time my mother looked ill. She didn't look like the same person that I saw the day before. I didn't recognize the woman that had been there for me my whole life and that scared me. Scared that this disease would actually win. Scared that she wouldn't be there for me much longer. Scared that she was suffering. Not wanting her to become another one of those Cancer patients so sick and bald headed. Hoping that she was fighting the disease with every ounce of energy she has in her.

My mom's Cancer is very treatable and it isn't very aggressive so it hasn't spread far. However this forces you to think about your parents mortality. When you are growing up your parents are superhuman and you don't want to think anything less. You never want lose your parents. As the circle of life keeps turning you realize that is closer than you want it to be, especially when disease enters the picture. At this point you just want to hold onto every moment that you have with them. You want the world to stop spinning and the days to stop. You don't ever want to leave them.

That is all I need to get off of my chest right now. I will have to post these from time to time to help me through this. Maybe I can skip anger and bargaining and go straight to acceptance. I think that I am close. The only anger I will have is at my brothers not helping out enough around the house!!

Play that Funky Music

2006-11-22T13:46:00.001-06:00

I know that I have been quiet lately but there has been a lot going on. I know that is no excuse, but I haven't really been in the mood to write. Yes, there is a certain mood that you should be in so that you aren't babbling like a brook. Everything is going smoothly with the house purchase. We close in 3 weeks and 2 days so we are VERY excited about that. We went and bought a fridge last weekend. We have paint picked out and are organizing a painting brigade. I am very excited to get in there and clean and get the ugliness off of the walls. I just hope the next three weeks go very quickly!!!!

As far as everything else in life it is OK. Work is going to be insane next year due to our recent acquisition. I am not looking forward to seeing my in-laws this weekend. I had to make a jello salad. I'll be damned if I knew how to make one. I had to search online for it. I hope that it tastes good! If not oh, well they will never ask me to bring that again. I have just been in a funk lately with everything going on in life. I am glad that I have a new house to move into and enjoy!! Hopefully by the time that is over things are getting better!!!

My Hubby the Killer

2006-11-20T07:45:00.002-06:00

Here are pictures of Josh and his deer. It isn't a big one, but it is better than nothing. He shot twice, injuring one that he wasn't able to find and this one. Other than that Mitch's brother shot once and missed.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2006-11-01T21:23:00.001-06:00

One year ago today I had my hip surgery. I cannot believe that it has been a year. It seems like just yesterday I was lying in that hospital bed. I cannot remember the pain and suffering that I went through at the beginning, nor do I want to. Those days were very trying! Sometimes I am amazed at how strong I must be to make it through all of that and still be here to tell the story. I know look back on this year and ask if it was all worth it? I used to say "yes" until my knee started hurting. Now I just wonder if I am ever going to be "normal" again. I still limp and cannot walk long distances. I know that I am not in as much pain as I once was, but pain is relative. I guess I will have to see what my doctor says next week.

The thing that really surprises me is where we are now compared to last year and even 2 years ago. We are buying a house!! Something that I thought would never happen. With Wal-Mart we were stuck in a vicious cycle of relocating. Thanks to Wal-Mart, Josh was able to get a job where he was appreciated AND we had quite a boost to our savings account. The good thing is that we made it through and haven't looked back, through the surgery, the job loss and other problems!! We have learned to forge ahead!

Hopefully all the strength that we have gained in the last year will help with our latest challenge! We have been dealing with something VERY tough and personal! I may talk about it someday but out of respect for the situation I will not post it here now. The pain is still to raw and I don't know what to say and how to handle myself. How do you keep your strength when the one person who has always been your rock needs you to be theirs? When I figure that one out I will let you know.

Fired Up!

2006-10-26T07:18:00.001-05:00

This morning on the radio they were discussing the Michael J. Fox (MJF) commercials that are airing across the country supporting candidates who support stem cell research. It got me so fired up because you really realize how IGNORANT people can be. I am not saying that I am not ignorant on some topics, but stem cell research and the government's support of it is not one of them. I was OK with the calls until a girl called and said "Why would MJF care about a race in Wisconsin?" At this point I knew it was all down hill from here. How can people not realize that a University of Wisconsin Scientist discovered Stem Cells? How can they not realize that we are currently a front runner in stem cell research? We hold the most of the "government funded" stem cell lines HERE is Wisconsin.

The caller that pushed me over the edge stated that "Stem cell research has no place in the political arena." HELLO!!! Where do you think that the money comes from? Also, Wisconsin is really on the edge here. We have lost so many smart people from Wisconsin, referred to as "The Brain Drain". Our intelligent people are going to other states for school and work. So if we hire a candidate who bans stem cell research in Wisconsin (Mark Green) we will become a state that is no longer a state at the forefront. The environment will seem hostile to researchers and they won't come here to perform their research. California took our Dairy state title away, we may as well just give them the stem cell title too if they are banned.

I am not saying that you have to vote one way or another, but don't just ignore this topic, it has more consequences than it seems, because it is a cause and effect situation. In this case the effects may be terrible for the state. Educate yourselves and THEN vote !!

Home Sweet Home

2006-10-23T20:00:00.001-05:00

It is ours! We heard on Sunday afternoon at 3pm that we booted the primary buyers out of contention. We will close on December 15th!!! We are VERY excited!!!!

Patience is Not My Finest Virtue

2006-10-20T20:53:00.001-05:00

Well we put an offer in on the house that I spoke of in my previous post. We wrote the offer up last night and Sheela submitted the offer to them last night sometime after Grey's Anatomy. The offer was written to expire by 7pm this evening.

Well 7:30 rolled around and we hadn't heard anything yet. I called Sheela and left her a message. She got back to me a little before 8 and said that they sellers called her and said that they haven't had a chance to look over and talk about the offer yet. They would get around to it tomorrow or Sunday and get back to her with their answer. Which 1 makes me very uneasy, because we have to wait longer for the answer. I know that them selling this house isn't their number one priority as they already have an offer in on the property, yet I don't know if they realize the agony of waiting on the other end. We set a deadline for a reason. So Sheela said at this point we have every right to walk away. The sellers may in the end accept our offer, but we have to rework the offer contract.

UGGGGHHHHHH I am not wanting to wait at all! I am in love with this house! I know I shouldn't have fallen, but those unlucky in love knows that you just cannot help it!

Keep Ya Posted!!!!!

Decisions, Decisions.

2006-10-18T13:30:00.001-05:00

Well we found a house that we like. So, begins the flurry of insanity. First things first, the offer currently has an offer on it. The offer has a Bump. What that means that the other buyers (them/they) have a contingency of selling their house, but if another buyer comes along (us/ours) and puts in an offer the sellers can accept ours if they aren't able to (within 72 hours) get their financing settled/change that contingency. They have the option of a double mortgage, obtaining a bridge loan, maybe their house is close to an offer, or just letting the house go. Which is sad for them, but good for us. So we are looking at the house tomorrow with my parents and if we see everything as kosher we will go ahead and try to bump the others out. I know that it sounds pretty mean, but oh well. It is the nicest house that we have seen and we really liked it when we did the drivebys. So if luck is in our favor (or if God is holding the house for us, as my mother-in-law would say) we may have a house!

Tomorrow I will take pictures and I will post them here to show it to you. I will keep you posted. Better than usual too because I am way excited about this and will talk to everyone and anyone about this! I am really anxious about it all!!

Way to Go Bucky

2006-10-17T12:55:00.001-05:00

A couple months ago site was sent around to vote for this year's inductees to the mascot hall of fame. There were several pro and college mascots on the ballot, including our very own Buckingham U. Badger. I was curious as to whatever came of that voting. Well today I went to the Mascot Hall of Fame website and found this years inductees.

Bucky will forever be a famous mascot!!

Red Faced

2006-10-10T12:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend I had a funny thing happen to me. I went shopping to find a dress to wear to the wedding that we attended. At the store I asked the woman to measure me for a bra. I have been having problems with the fit and comfort of the bras that I currently am wearing. So she measured me and told me that I needed to wear a cup 2-3 sizes bigger than I was currently wearing. I told her I couldn't believe it. She stated "Honey, you have huge knockers, embrace them." I about died! I couldn't believe that she said that! I laughed and laughed all weekend about it.

Yesterday I came to work and had to share the story with some of my close female co-workers. They too thought that it was hilarious and got a good laugh out of it. I was in the lab when another female co-worker came in and I told her the story. She has shared breast related stories with me in the past so I knew that she would get a kick out of it. I told her in front of my close male co-worker, whispering the sizes to her so he wouldn't hear, and they both laughed and laughed and joked about calling me "HK" from now on and had fun with it. Well THIS female co-worker decided to tell EVERYONE male and female in the lab the story. She left out the cup sizes, which was smart, but I didn't want or need everyone to know. So know anyone who works in the lab knows my huge knockers story and I won't be able to live that one down for a while.

Running Around

2006-10-04T21:30:00.001-05:00

This week has been a hectic one. We have met with two Realtors this week. We have two good ones we talked to and have to try and decide which one to go with. We really liked both of them. I have an appointment with the bank on Friday to talk about loans and to pre-qualify for a loan. I hope to learn more about the different types of loans available to us and how much house we will be able to afford. This all makes me nervous. This is a big deal! I am making sense out of it all by studying up on it all. I have 2 books that I am reading. One from a co-worker and one that I bought. They are both very helpful so I am feeling better about it all. It will really hit me when we go out on showings. Thinking about it makes my tummy tumble.

We are off to my friend Jen's wedding this weekend. Jen and I have been friends since the third grade. We haven't been that close as of late but I love her to death and I am anxious to meet her husband. The first time I will meet him will be on Friday. We are staying with the outlaws for the rest of the weekend since there house is only 5 miles from the reception hall.

Other than that trying to keep exercising and figuring out if I limp more or less with my knee brace on.

DOGS!!!!!

2006-09-25T20:35:00.001-05:00

We went to the farm this weekend to visit. Jackson wasn't too sure about Daisy but we did get some pictures of them together.

Dirty Dan & his Dangerous Dogs

Aren't we the cutest pups ever?

Tired from a long day of playing

Darling Daisy

The Chicken Shit

Look Right

2006-09-25T12:19:00.001-05:00

I have changed the sidebar of my blog a little bit today. I changed my blogroll to Current Faves and The Old Standbys. Just because sometimes you need to shake things up. I have added a few links. Some are links that I used to post on here about fertility issues and such. I weened down the list of infertility websites that I read to two of my faves who are now Mama's. They are very entertaining and worth the read.

The link that I added is for the writer's blog for Grey's Anatomy. I am ABSOLUTELY in love with this show. I cannot rave enough about this show. I drive Josh crazy talking about the show all the time. I found this link via another blog that I read. The writers post after each episode. They often post about what inspired them to write that story line or why the characters did or said certain things. Definitely a good stop for a person as obsessed as I am!

Chloe Suellen

2006-09-19T08:06:00.001-05:00

Colin Meeting His New Sister

The New Family

Pretty in Pink!

Welcome to the family!

2006-09-18T07:59:00.001-05:00

There have been two unexpected additions to our "family" in the past week. One was expected but not so soon, where the other came out of no where. First off, my parents adopted a dog last week. This is surprising because we were always told that when the dogs that they owned had gone to doggy heaven that they were done. We all knew that this wasn't true because of the way that she fell in love with our little Jackson. She loves to play "go fetch" and makes him cock his head from side to side so that he looks like he is intently listening to you.

We were up in Clintonville seeing my sisters new house and hanging out with the family. We went to the city pound (Brad's group is in charge of care for the animals) to see the cute puppy that Brad was talking about. I think that it was love at first sight for Danny. He loved that dog! She is a cutie! We stole the dog away to the house to meet mom. Mom was guilted into saying that Danny could adopt the dog. So little Daisy is now at the farm raising hell.

The second addition came a little sooner than expected. My friend Heidi was pregnant and due at the end of the month. Betsy's birthday to be exact! I received a phone call Saturday night while I was in the dells for a bachelorette party (another post all together). It was Mitch (Heidi's husband), the message on my voicemail was all scratchy with no voice. So I left the bar and headed outside to call back. I was informed that Heidi was in labor and if I could please come as soon as possible they would like me to tape the birth. We were waiting for the cab to come and take us to another location which was across the street from where we were parked. I ran to the car and called Mitch said I am in the car I am about and hour and a half away, I was gonna stop at home to change clothes and grab overnight stuff and head out. By the time I got home she had already had the baby.

According to both Mitch and Heidi the baby pretty much just fell out. Her labor started at 10:05 at 11pm they called the doctor, she said come in and get checked out. She was at 4 cm and they sent her up to be admitted to her birthing suite. When she got settled in (15-20minutes later) they checked her cervix and she was 5.5 cm. At about 12:30 the anesthesiologist was ordered for the epidural. The anesthesiologist walked out the room at ~12:41, Heidi rolled onto her back at 12:42, baby popped out at 12:43. No big push, baby just came out. The anesthesiologist walked in a few minutes later and took out the epidural. The drugs didn't kick in until after she gave birth. The only people in the room when it happened were Mitch and the nurse. No doctor, nothing.

Welcome to the world Chloe Suellen! I will post a picture tonight!

Finally an Answer!

2006-09-13T17:18:00.001-05:00

Well today's Dr's appointment was a complete 180 from last weeks. The MRI went well. I didn't have to go into the machine as far so I wasn't so claustrophobic. I got in to see my doctor with little waiting even though I was almost 2 hrs early. When I scheduled my appointment the receptionist told me to come straight over and check in and I would be seen. So I read only 1 magazine this time. I had an athletic trainer see me instead of tweedle dee and tweedle dum that I saw last week. She even let me know where I was in the line up after I had been sitting there for a little while.

First of all the fact that my knee cap is multipartite is right. BUT it is MUCHO multipartite. The top corner of my knee cap is in a bunch of little pieces held together by cartilage. The doc said that my knee looked solid and that he wasn't sure where the popping was coming from. He felt that scoping my knee would be a waste of time because he would probably get in there and see nothing. He did however prescribe a fancy knee brace for me to wear. The brace isn't all that cumbersome, but it is sweaty. I see my therapist tomorrow and he should be able to give me some further guidelines about when and how long to wear this contraption. So know we can go house hunting without worry of me being off work again for my knee.

Let's see what Dr Mann says about my other hip in November. Let's hope that he has messed with me enough for now. I know that I initially wanted to have the other hip done right away. I am however very nervous about having both sides of my body weakened. I have enough trouble lifting my right leg up I don't want to be unable to do that with both legs. Not right now. I can live with the other hip for now.

Incompetence at it's finest

2006-09-07T09:41:00.001-05:00

As you know my knee has been bothering me for a little while now. So I was looking forward to seeing my knee doctor. Well I went to the Dr.’s office yesterday and it was a nightmare. I had to wait in the waiting room for a little while as usual. Then I went into the exam room and spoke with the nurse. The nurse took my medical history and left me for the residents. The residents came in 15-20 minutes later. They asked me all the questions and jerked my knee around every which way and back. They left talking of x-rays and talking to my Dr. Then I sat, I read 2 magazines. I was getting pretty frustrated and was getting ready to poke my head out of the door when the residents and my doctor came in. My Dr. asked if I just came back from x-ray and I said “No. I was never sent to x-ray.” Then the Dr left the room for a bit to determine what to do and yell at the residents. So he came back in and said that he wouldn’t waste anymore of my time and asked about my problems. He popped me up on the table and jerked my knee around some more. He told me that he wanted an MRI done on my knee. When I had my MRI, I was to have the x-rays that weren’t performed during that visit. I was sent on my way. Or so I thought. I got out to the front desk and the receptionist informed me that I didn’t have the proper paper work and they stuck me back in my little room to fill it out. I could then go on my way. From what the receptionist was saying I determined that the residents had just rotated from the spine clinic. So they were new and had little knowledge of how the sports med clinic worked. I did not get my x-rays due to confusion of who was supposed to send me to x-ray.

So after an hour and a half at the Dr.’s office I have no answers. I do however have an MRI and x-rays scheduled for next Wednesday the 13th!

I'm So Excited!

2006-08-30T18:13:00.001-05:00

This weekend is going to be a big weekend for several reasons. 1) My grandparents from Florida are going to be in town. Since I had surgery last year we couldn't go down and see them. So it has been over a year since I have seen them. That is entirely too long. On top of that we are getting together with that WHOLE side of the family. It will be nice to have the Ruskoskys back together again!!! 2)It is the cow chip craft fair. Which means a trip to Sauk and looking at a lot of cute crafty stuff. My goal is to find my sister something sappy to hang in her house. Since her fiancee thinks that our apt is too sappy, I am going to find something sappy to give her whenever I can! 3) While we are in Sauk my mom and I are going to scope out some neighborhoods in Sauk. Actually we are looking at houses, on the outside, to see if they are in nice neighborhoods. WE ARE LOOKING AT HOUSES!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited! I feel like we have been waiting FOREVER to buy a house. Now that Wal-Mart pumped up our savings account we will be able to find a permanent residence. We have been scoping houses out in Sauk City and Lodi since Josh accepted his job offer. We are hoping to find something and move in sometime in January. I really don't want to move before Christmas unless absolutely necessary. The plan is to talk to banks after Labor Day and see what they have to say about us and our credit and how much house they are willing to finance us for. We have an idea of what we want to spend. Let's hope that the bank tells us that is in our price range!

OH THE INSANITY!

2006-08-23T21:17:00.001-05:00

I have been so crazy at work the last week I don't know if I am going to be able to keep my head on straight for the next 5 days. I am currently working on a bunch of stuff. I got an assay to work today that I didn't think that I was going to be able to. So that is exciting but I have to write a report now and have it done by Monday. That will be over $100K that I have brought in for the company in that past 4 months. I know that they can never get rid of me I am a cash cow!!! The bad part of this is that I am getting the rep of being able to get any difficult assay to work. That isn't cool. That means that I may be getting all of the hard assays from now on.... I definitely don't want that.

Josh is really enjoying his job. He is pretty crazy there too as the office is SEVERELY short staffed. On top of that his boss has been out the past 2 days moving. He is enjoying his job very much. He has just come into a situation where they are months and months behind on their work. It is hard enough to play catch-up when it is your own work and you know how to do it, much less coming in with no experience and picking up someone else's slack.

That's all from the Casa de Honer.... hopefully it won't be a week before you hear from me again....

Short Term Unemployment

2006-08-16T15:55:00.001-05:00

Just 14 days post Wal-Mart, Josh has a new job. Not only does he have one but he started today. You will remember last week when I said that Josh got a call from the Kalahari for an interview. Well he got the job offer Friday and accepted it on Monday, what a whirlwind! Josh spent his last day of freedom in Danny Daycare, shooting clay pigeons and scaring the crap out of the dogs. Just the way I am sure that he wanted to go down.

I am sitting here hoping to hear something from him about how his day is going. I am not sure that I will hear from him but I hope that I do so that I don't burst before the end of the day. I am planning on surprising him with his favorite dinner of Swedish meatballs for supper. I am sure that he will appreciate that surprise.

I will let you know if I hear anything!!

Home Sweet Home

2006-08-13T09:20:00.001-05:00

I got home Friday afternoon without any troubles at the airport. I was all prepared to be let down when I got to the airport. I was planning on having to stand for a long time everywhere I went. I was equipped with the number for American Airlines so that I could call and complain if I was bumped or cancelled. The lines were incredibly long at the terminal. My advice to anyone is E-Ticket. I don't think that they give paper tickets anymore unless requested. E-Ticket is totally the way to go. I was pretty nervous because the curbside check in lines were VERY long. I heard some people complaining of a 30-45 minute wait. I walked into the terminal, asked where the self service kiosk line was. The line was a tenth of the line for the counter agents. Within 15 minutes I had my bags checked and my boarding passes in hand, heading for the long security line. I missed the bomb sniffing dogs on Friday. When I was hanging around on Thursday they were constantly running up and down the terminal. I didn't see any Friday morning.

I was standing in line behind a family from the middle east. The son, who was in his late 30s or 40s was the one who was traveling. As we were inching towards the security check point a TSA agent came and pulled this man aside. This man could hardly understand what the agent was saying. Each question was repeated at least once. The man was traveling through London Heathrow with a final destination in Pakistan. At first I felt very sorry for this man, this was an instance of racial profiling at it's best. However, after leaving the checkpoint and listening to more news I felt comforted as there were arrests of Pakistanis in connected to the thwarted security plot. I am well aware that not every middle eastern person is a terrorist and that all terrorists aren't middle eastern and you hear stories of the increased percentage of middle eastern travelers who are always pulled aside for secondary screening but, I did feel safer.

I stopped to buy some souvenirs, a book to read and a bottle of water. I made it to the gate and had plenty of time to sit and read or surf the internet. I was however a little nervous because my boarding pass for the flight from Chicago to Madison said that I had to see a gate agent to get my seat assignment. I didn't know if that meant that I didn't have a seat and had to go on standby or if they were just waiting to hand out seat assignments due to not knowing how many people were going to be on the plane. When I got to the gate I was happy to see that it was that they hadn't assigned seats yet. It was such a quick flight to Madison, I believe it was something like 25 minutes from Chicago. I was so excited to get home! Don't get me wrong, I had a great time in Boston, which I will post about soon, but my extra 20 hours in Boston really wore me out!

Stuck

2006-08-10T17:37:00.002-05:00

Here I am stuck in Boston. My co-worker and I went to the airport this afternoon to head home. I had to check my bags and my co-worker didn't. So he headed off to security and I went to the counter to check my bags. We agreed to meet at the gate. I got to the counter and noticed that my itinerary had been changed. My flight out of Chicago had been cancelled and I was booked on a flight for tomorrow. I didn't know what to do. I paged my co-worker to meet me at the American Eagle desk. I waited, I paged him from the info desk and I paged him from the American counter. No luck! In between pagings I called our travel agency. I was told that I could either get a one way ticket through Milwaukee for $650, I decided to get a hotel room for the night. I left my boss a message telling her I lost her husband and that I got a hotel for the night.

I got to the hotel, checked in and e-mailed my boss telling her let me know if she heard anything to call me. She called me within a half hour to tell me that he called American and got a flight on Northwest and will be home at 8:30 tonight. That lucky bastard! I didn't know that you should call and complain and they will re-route you. So I am enjoying Boston for another night. I am staying in and checking e-mail. I am heading down to eat dinner now. Let's hope the hotel restaurant is good!!!

Josh update

2006-08-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

I am just dropping you a quick line to let you know that Josh's interviews with Verizon and Gander Mountain went very well. Verizon ask about calling Josh's references which according to the books means that they are considering on offering him a position. Gander Mountain went pretty much straight from his first interview into his second interview. Both companies promising to give him an answer within a week. Two other companies called him this week for interview; the Kalahari in the Dells and Jo-Ann fabrics. He interviews with them Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

I am currently in Boston for a conference. I am going sightseeing tomorrow morning. I will write all about it when I get home. I should have pictures to document it too!!!

Mitch-ah-palooza 3.0

2006-08-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

This weekend we got together with out college friends for the annual celebration known as Mitch-ah-palooza. Mitch told us that we could bring Jackson along with us. We decided to take Jackson along. What a mistake!! Jackson got out of the car and ran around a little bit. When Opie, Mitch's parent's St Bernard, saw Jackson he immediately took off chasing him. We were informed that Opie thought that Jackson was a cat. So we had to call my mom and have her meet us somewhere so that they could pick him up. I felt really bad that I had upset their evening plans. I hate being an imposition on them. My parents do so much for us as it is. I feel bad asking for more. We had a fabulous time. We played ladder golf, the guys played kickball and croquet. I spent some time in the swimming pool. I got out of the swimming pool on my own this year. I was really excited because I was humiliated by being stuck on the pool last year. I had to be pushed up from the pool from behind.

Josh drank all day and ended up being the evening entertainment. Josh was performing running belly flops into the pool. He bought a straw cowboy hat especially for this celebration. He jumped into the pool with it on and completely soaked it. He kept everyone entertained and in the process probably bruised some ribs in the process. We are very lucky to have such wonderful friends who want to get together and spend such a chunk of time together. I cannot wait to next year's camping trip!!

The End

2006-08-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

Today is Josh's last day with Wal-Mart. I am both excited and scared for him. I am happy that he had the guts to realized that he wanted to get out when he had the chance. It is a hard decision to leave a job that no longer makes you happy. I am scared because Josh still hasn't found a job. We are hopeful that the interviews that he has next week will pan out. Also, the USC interview went EXTREMELY well yesterday! The woman there said that if he didn't hear anything from the Wisconsin area recruiters within 10 days to call her back. Let's hope.

Hunt Fish Camp and Can You Hear Me Now?

2006-07-31T12:18:00.000-05:00

Josh has two interviews next week on top of a recruiting call this week with US Cellular. On Monday afternoon Josh will be interviewing for a store manager position at Verizon Wireless. On Tuesday afternoon Josh will be interviewing for the Fishing, Camping, Apparel and Footwear Manager position with Gander Mountain. Let's hope this plethora of activity leads to something good!

My Fashionable New Accessory

2006-07-25T14:59:00.000-05:00

Today I went to visit my physical therapist. It was a much anticipated visit because my knee has been giving me problems for a while and it seems in the last month that it has gotten worse. I don't know if that is because I have been using it more this month or if it was because my alignment is all off. I have been tempted to just call my knee doctor and tell him what was going on. I didn't want to do that without talking to some sort of medical professional because if this could be fixed by therapy that would be wonderful. I think that I really threw my therapist for a loop because of the amount of pain that I have been experiencing with my knee. I told my therapist that I really feel that is where my weakness in my right leg is rather than in my hip. My therapist really screwed around with my knee today and I am VERY sore! I found out that I have a multipartite patella. That means that the knee cap is in more than 2 pieces. I now have a new, VERY fashionable taped up knee to make sure that my knee cap stays in the right spot. I have to tape it up daily and remove and night. I am sure that I will have to ice it too. This makes me feel really stupid. What I really have to say about the situation is it is SUMMER for crying out load! I wear shorts and skorts a lot! I am going to look like a big DORK walking around with tape on my knee. I will try to wear capris at work so that I don't have a big loser arrow pointing at me. I guess I will look like a dork until further notice.

I will see my therapist in a week to see if the taping is helping, then I will see my knee guy, Dr Graf on the 6th of September. I wish that I could be normal. I really do!!

Family Dynamics

2006-07-21T12:45:00.000-05:00

I don't think you truly understand how different families are until you get married. When you are engaged you know, but once the ink is dry on the marriage license the need to hide family oddities becomes less necessary. When you are growing up, your siblings learn your personalities and know how to handle your quirks. You either learn to love then or use them to annoy the shit out of them. Also, there are no set parents the same. Some want a hug and a kiss when you walk out the door, even for a short time. Where as others you get the kiss and hug on special occasions. Some parents yell and others discuss. Parenting styles lead to how the child interacts with people for the rest of their lives.

As my siblings "pair off" into relationships I have begun to see how different families are. One set of in-laws are quiet, don't yell are a little weird, another set picks on each other's faults and riddles their children with guilt. My in-laws have plenty of quirks too, their religiousness, the inability to pick up a phone and call, plus more that couldn't even describe. I am by no means saying that our family if perfect either. How do you learn to deal with these as you decide to become husband and wife or decide to start a family? Do you ever learn completely? Or is it a continuous learning process? Or do you just give up the fight?

Why is it so hard to mesh families? Why can't a family open their hearts and homes to people that their child or sibling loves? Now I am not saying that we as family members should roll over and accept anyone. You should not accept the man who belittles your sister or the woman who is constantly ordering around your son. I am saying that if the person is nice enough, your brother loves her, why not let them be happy? Who cares that they aren't the same religion? Who cares that they don't play golf or watch tractor pulls? Why do we have to find their faults? Especially when we ourselves know how hard it is to try and belong.

Worse yet, how do we move on after the conflict? How do we realize that you promised to love honor and cherish this person forever and their family is part of the package deal? How do you get past the nasty comments or the knock-down drag out fight you had? You have to learn the art of forgiveness and have the courage and integrity to move on. You have to learn to say to that person, you wronged me, but I forgive you. For the good of the family that you and your spouse have and will create, you have to move on. Now I don't expect forgiveness to be granted for such actions as stealing, abuse, or other crimes. When a fight happens you need to get over yourself, your embarrassment or your anger and look at the bigger picture. Do you want to have this hanging over your head your whole life? Do you want carry that anger and resentment for the rest of your life? Or as long as your marriage lasts? There is one person that I am related to by marriage that I want to read this but I know never will. I know that this person will never get past their selfishness to realize what their hurt feelings are doing to not only their spouse that is stuck in the middle, but to the family that desperately wants to get past this and enjoy what they have because we know that it won't last forever! Maybe THAT is why we like to get together so often!!

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

2006-07-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

We had some pretty big excitement for our neighborhood this weekend. Friday night the apartment building 2 buildings down started on fire. About 8:45pm we heard police sirens in our neighborhood. Now police sirens aren't that rare where we live so I though nothing of it until they stopped VERY close by. I looked up the street and saw a cop car blocking the street. So I went out the front door to see what was going on and saw flames lining the roof of that apartment building. Since the fire department wasnt' there yet people were running up to the police department and giving them their fire extinguishers to help fight the fire. There is something about a fire or tragedy like that that you have to watch. This was no exception. If you add up all the people that I have seen in the neighborhood since we moved, the number would still be shy of the number of people out there on Friday night. There were fire departments from Waunakee, Deforest and Marshall responding along with the Sun Prairie department.

The fire seemed to start in the closet that contains the air conditioning/heating unit and spread into the apartment and the attic. It was very obvious that the fire was in the attic as the siding started to peel off the building and smoke was billowing out of the attic vents. We watched the fire departments saw into the attic and put the fire out. By 10 the fire was out and the crowd had thinned. My mom was spending the night so she took Jackson out for a walk to watch what was going on. We think that he ruined the news coverage that Channel 3 provided because he was doing his growl/bark at the people standing there. Including the news crew.

There still isn't a report of what happened yet. There were some early pictures in the Sun Prairie paper this week. I will have to buy one next week to see what happened.

My Gravy Boat Adventures

2006-07-12T18:49:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my mother and I went to the Corelle outlet in Oshkosh. At the outlet store I purchased a gravy boat that matched our dish set. I was very excited about the new gravy boat as I did not have one. I had to use a bowl and a ladle and that just isn't as cool as a gravy boat. I was planning on making a pot roast this week so that I could make gravy to use my new gravy boat. I only had rib roasts and mom told me that those weren't the right cut for a pot roast. So this week while I was at work mom called to say that she brought me the pot roast and we could meet to pick it up. When I got off the phone I told my co-workers about my new purchase and how excited I was and how mom was bringing me this roast. It was open season for teasing. They couldn't believe how excited I was over a stupid gravy boat. The running joke now is that I should start the website mygravyboatadventures.com and just take it places or photoshop my gravy boat into pictures of favorite landmarks. I could make up stories about my gravy boat and things of this nature. I have a hard enough time keeping this website going some days I don't think that mygravyboatadventures.com is going to happen. But for today consider this website, mygravyboatadventures.com.

Here is my new Gravy boat and the fabulous adventure we had tonight with it holding gravy:

Time for Gravy Boat's Close-up

It's dirty work but someone has to do it

As you can see gravy boat is still casual enough for just the two of us but has a skirted saucer to dress up dinner a little bit. All-in-all I believe that this was a smart purchase. Hooray for Gravy Boat!

Where to Now?

2006-07-07T07:20:00.000-05:00

A dear Josh letter was received in the mail yesterday from Kohl's. He was pretty bummed about it. He told me yesterday that the woman he spoke to did not know if the positions in Madison were opening up for sure or not. We knew that the Store Manager Position might be a stretch but it you never try you can never succeed. To us just getting the interview was a big shot in the arm. We aren't concerned yet. Josh is still with Wal-Mart until August 4th. So we have another month of income plus his very nice severance package. In the famed words of Freddie Mercury, "The show must go on".

On a related note, one of the guys that we went to college with lives across the street from us. He and the rest of the guys had a falling out 3-4 years ago so he isn't included in our gatherings. When he is invited he just doesn't come. About a year ago I got an IM from him asking if we lived in Sun Prairie and deduced that we live kitty corner from each other. I invited him to come over anytime to hang out or whatever. He of course denied the invite and turns his head every time we drive by or attempt to wave at him.

So I was at Pick N Save on Tuesday and I ran into him. I walked up behind him and said "Hey Jimmy" and got ignored. So I pushed my cart up to him turned my head towards him and said "Hey Jimmy, how are you?". This was the beginning of a short uncomfortable conversation during which he didn't introduce me to his bitchy looking pregnant wife whom I have never met. She ignored me and continued shopping. I was walking away saying "well it was nice seeing you." when he asked me if Josh was still at Wal-Mart. See Jimmy started working for ShopKo right out of college and had nothing but awful things to say about the fact that Josh was working for Wal-Mart. To which I say, yes Josh had to work long hours and holidays, he was under appreciated. You know what? It paid the bills and Josh has learned a lot and he even had fun once in a while. Not everyone has their dream job and loves going to work everyday but, we muttle through like anyone would. Sorry for the tangent here, so the guy who ignores us and only talks to me when cornered wants to help Josh out. After I told him Josh's story he told me that ShopKo is looking for managers, which we knew. Josh refuses to apply because, in his words "He doesn't want to work for that asshole."

Kohls update

2006-06-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Josh said the interview went well. He talked to the lady for 20 minutes. She asked a lot of questions and Josh got talk a lot which is different than the first interview he had. So he felt pretty confident in his answers. She told him that it would be 2-3 weeks before she got back to him. She did say that he was in the running for assistant or a store manager position. Plus he found out the pay is a lot better than Wal-Mart's base salary.

Oh and Jackson caught another chipmunk. It was quite entertaining to see it happen as I was absent from the original catching of the chippy.

We are headed to Rhythm & Booms tomorrow and off to the Farm Sunday for the 3rd Annual Redneck Fireworks Extravaganza. I am sure I will have some interesting stories to share after this weekend.

Kohl's

2006-06-29T07:13:00.001-05:00

Last week Tuesday I was home alone and searching for Josh jobs. Hey there is nothing on TV this time of year and I want Josh to get a job soon! I usually make a list of the positions that I find and then at night or on his day off he applies for the jobs that he likes. Well last Tuesday we hit Job hunter's GOLD! There was a store manager position open at the Kohl's in Lake Delton. Yes it is about a 45 minute commute from Sun Prairie but, it is a Store Manager position. Josh called on his cell phone on his way home that night and I told him of the position. We talked about it for a little while and he came home and he was still talking about it and was VERY interested in it. He just went on and on about it and how excited he was and all the changes that he was going to make to his resume to help himself stand out. I honestly don't know how he slept that night. I am sure that he was up not too long after I left in the morning and was working on the resume.

On Monday of this week a Store Manager and an Assistant Store Manager position in Madison opened up. Josh re-emailed the recruiter and said that he wanted to be considered for the Madison positions also. We expected to wait a little while to hear anything as job hunting is a fairly long process. Yesterday Josh got a phone call to set up a phone interview for today. HOPEFULLY, keep all your fingers crossed, he performs so well in his phone interview that they set up an actual interview!!! Let's hope!! I will update afternoon to tell you the results of the interview.

Killer

2006-06-26T18:52:00.000-05:00

In the past few weeks Jackson has been driven insane by the family of chipmunks that have moved into the landscaping in front of our apartment. Josh occasionally lets him off his leash to smell them out and chase them up the rain spout. Well tonight Josh did that as usual and a little chippy ran out of the drain spout. Well ,he met his maker pretty quickly as Jackson killed him pretty much instantly. This is surprising because Jackson is usually scared of his own shadow. We wouldn't expect him to actually catch and kill another living animal. It is really hard to believe that something this cute:

Could do this:

I am sure that you think that I am weird for taking this picture, but people take pictures of trophy bucks all the time. This is Jackson's trophy kill. I doubt he will catch anything ever again.

I Missed It Again!

2006-06-23T07:09:00.000-05:00

I had it marked on the calendar at work so that I would remember. My second Blog-i-Versary was on Wednesday. Two years of keeping this thing barely going. I have just been so preoccupied lately with work and helping Josh with the job search. Work has been CRAZY busy for the last month or so. I am going somewhere and my projects are mostly progressing well. I just have so much to do. Hopefully I will be slowing down a little bit soon.

Josh has had one interview. He hasn't heard anything back yet so he is calling today to see what the status is. He has gotten a few Dear Josh letters. That is fine and to be expected. There are 2 new jobs available that he is really excited about. One is a Kohl's Store Manager and the other is a District Manager of Blockbuster overseeing the Madison, Milwaukee districts. We shall see, he only applied for those positions on Wednesday. I really hope he gets the call on those because he is really excited about those.

As for me I am going to the Crafts in the Country with my mom and sister this weekend. This is a yearly tradition and I cannot believe that it is already that time of year. The summer has flown. Josh brought home strawberries yesterday. We didn't do anything with them because he only brought home a pint sized thing and that isn't enough for shortcake so he is going to bring more home tonight and then I will be making shortcake. The 4th of July fireworks have been purchased so we are ready for that! Yeah!

The Search is On

2006-06-12T17:44:00.000-05:00

Well, the job hunt has officially began. It is funny because I have some time during the day I am sending new job openings to Josh quite regularly. I know that he appreciates me spending the time. However I am not sure if he appreciates receiving several e-mails a day with new positions attached. It is quite the undertaking. I will keep you posted on the progress.

I am just blown away by the love and support we have received from our friends and family. I am not shocked because I know how great and wonderful they all are! It is just mind blowing to have that re-affirmed in a situation like this. It makes us feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful support system!

On to other things..... Hmmmm... I am gearing up to attend a conference in Boston in August! I am pretty excited about that. I have to work on my endurance because I am going with at least 2 other people and we are going to take a day off and take the Freedom Trail. So I will have to be able to walk for 2.5 miles without whining. I don't want to show that side of me in front of my co-workers. So I am pretty excited about that.

A Brighter Outlook

2006-06-09T18:11:00.000-05:00

Josh has more answers today. He spoke to his manager today about his options and what is going to happen in the next few months. First of all Josh's position is in existence until September. I am not sure if that is the beginning or end of the month. Within the next 2 weeks Wal-Mart stores with reassess their assistant manager needs. Meaning that some new positions will be opening up within all the stores to accommodate all of the suddenly available personnel. At that point Josh can apply for any position within Wal-Mart that he qualifies for. If he isn't offered any of the positions that he applied for, he is allowed to leave Wal-Mart with a 7 week severance package. This at least makes us feel much better today than yesterday. Hopefully we will get a whole bunch of responses from the resumes we sent out last night!!

A Real Kick in the Teeth

2006-06-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

Today I came home to a sullen husband. A husband with a beer in his hand and Tupac blaring from the stereo. Josh said something about listening to Tupac when he is depressed. I just figured that it was another bad day in retail. So I said "what happened at work today?" I quizzed about work, I asked if he got fired. To each I got a "no". I was told that he would tell me in a minute. I knew that this was bad. My husband isn't the type that has to compose himself before he speaks. Josh looked at me with eyes welled up with tears and told me that they have eliminated his position at Wal-Mart. It is not only him but all management in photo, optical and tire/lube express. This goes straight to the top. His boss loses his job and his bosses boss loses his job and on up the food chain. It doesn't matter if you have been in the position 1 or 20 years your job is GONE!!! That is 2-3,000 positions with in Wal-Mart! Each employee has one of 2 options 1) apply for a job as an assistant manager or 2) leave with severance pay.

Josh has secretly been applying for positions for a couple weeks now. Nothing too serious. Just sending random resumes out for positions that sound interesting. I don't know if this is fate's way of stepping in or what? We have no clue where and what to do next. We hope that Josh can find a job and quick. Good thing between our savings and stock plans we have our 3 months of bills saved up. I think with my income and our savings we can make it 6 months before being flat broke. After that it will be just paying the bills and that is it. No extras. No food. No Gas. Let's hope that if Josh decides to leave, his parachute is golden. PRAY for him to find a new job swiftly. I don't know what else to do. We are just numb.

Another One Bites the Dust

2006-06-02T07:24:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my brother Andy graduated from High School. It is hard to believe that 18 years have passed since he was born. I remember waking up that December morning and my Aunt Marcia was there instead of my parents. I was so happy to have a little brother. Because of Andy we got a minivan. Something that was a big deal back in 1987. 4 kids didn't fit to well in a car. In fact I cannot even remember what kind of car we had before the blue minivan. Andy's life has sped by. Granted I don't feel like it was just yesterday that he was born because I was in 3rd grade when that happened. I do however feel like the time since my high school graduation has flown. He was nine when I graduated. I still remember him at that age. The years that I remember the most are "the dork years" Andy, bless his soul was a dork. He wore tractor hats (still does), high waisted pants and those big glasses. Of course what sticks out the most is stupid things that he said. Those years came and went and he has grown up to be a very well adjusted young man. I am very proud of him!! I know that he will succeed in his life wherever he ends up he has great drive and determination! Way to go Andy

The DOG

2006-05-23T12:58:00.000-05:00

Sometimes being a doggy parent is very wonderful and rewarding. Other times it is frustrating. Take yesterday as an example. I put Jackson in the bathroom as I usually do when I leave for work. When I came home I was greeted at the door by a little wagging tailed beast. I was bewildered as to how he had gotten out of the bathroom until I realized that I had locked him in the bathroom without shutting the pocket door to the spare bedroom. There were shredded Kleenexs EVERYWHERE. It wasn't until a little later that I found the chewed up tampon applicator from the bathroom garbage and gagged. All I have to say is at least it wasn't a tampon!! The thing is he knows that he is in trouble as soon as you get home and he huddles near the door all curled up so that you feel sorry for him and you don't yell at him. So I didn't say a word to him and let him out.

One of the funny stories that I have neglected to share was an experience we had the last time that we were at the farm. Betsy and Danny were playing catch. Betsy had to go inside for some reason and let Matt play with Danny. Either Jackson wasn't outside before or he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, but he begins to chase the ball. He is running back and forth from Danny to Matt and back waiting to catch the ball. When a ball went soaring over someone's head he would race them to go and get the ball. He quickly realized that the ball was way to big for his little mouth then he forgot. Because each time the ball was overthrown he would run after it again. It was one of the funniest things that I have ever seen! That stupid dog will chase anything that you throw.

MY Sewing Machine Pictures

2006-05-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

Another Person's Trash

2006-05-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend we spent yet another weekend with the out-laws. Josh's parents are moving yet again next month. Josh's mother has been getting rid of a bunch of stuff! So we were chit chatting in front of the house Sunday afternoon while Josh's mom was looking through there stuff. She called me over and said "I have offered this to several people and no one wants this". It was an antique singer sewing machine in a sewing machine table. I was so excited!!!! I have never had anything that old and just wonderful! I was VERY happy to have it.

I had the spot picked out before we even left his parent's house. When we arrived home I moved the things around that needed to be moved and placed the table. I cleaned years of dust and grime out of it. I spent an hour cleaning it up. I used a cloth and a toothbrush to get into all the nooks and crannies. It cleaned up VERY nicely.

I did look up the machine by it's serial number. It is a model 127-3 made in Elizabeth New Jersey and the distribution date was March 30, 1920. There were 25,000 of them made. I printed off a scanned in copy of the owner's manual and maybe I can figure this bad boy out.

Here is a picture of a similar sewing machine. I will have to take a picture to post here for you to see.

Finale

2006-05-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again! When the shows that we have addicitively been watching for 9 months come to an end. I hate this time of year! I hate not having anything to watch on TV. I hate going to Movie Gallery and trying to pick through the movies that you have seen to find SOMETHING to watch. I guess it is a bonus that we haven't rented any movies in a month.

This time of year is also hard because you have to say good-bye. Leaving behind shows like Will & Grace, 7th Heaven, That 70's Show and The West Wing. Losing wonderful and touching characters like Denny Duquette , Libby and Michael Gallant. I look forward to sitting on the edge of your seat while trying to figure out what they are going to do next on Prison Break, 24 and Housewives. There is the excitement of crowning the next American Idol, Survivor or Apprentice. Then there are the questions: Why is everyone on Srubs pregnant? Why did Meredith have sex with McDreamy? Is Izzy really going to quit the program? How far can the prison break fugitives run? The list goes on and on. So I guess I will have to suffer through made for TV movies, repeats and Hell's Kitchen until that glorious week in September. A time when we will be reunited with those we love.... until then dear primetime TV...until then.

A Sign of the Times

2006-05-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

As many of you are aware my hubby works for Wal-Mart. I think that I have also made it publicly known that I am really itching to buy a house. Well a sign of hope popped up on my drive to work yesterday. There is a sign in front of the old Monona K-Mart that reads, "Future home of Wal-Mart Supercenter" with a sign next to it for the construction company. I have been waiting for some sign that yes there was going to be a Wal-Mart there. The reason? If Josh transfers to that Wal-Mart we can both live 15 minutes from work. That is a luxury neither one of us has shared, EVER! We have been living in limbo the past few years waiting for a place to settle and if Josh can get a position in any of the new Wal-Marts in the Madison area we can finally begin our lives together.

No Rain on This Parade

2006-05-11T07:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks another AI post. Last night's results show shocked most of the nation. Katharine and Chris were the bottom two vote getters last week. With Chris going home. First of all people who bet on this show are screwed!!! Never bet on American Idol, NEVER! I say this because Chris and Katharine had the highest odds of being the final two. People who watch this show religiously know that there are always upsets. It happens it is Idol and America can be finicky. Secondly, if you listened only to their performances on Tuesday the voting is correct. I believe that Chris absolutely MURDERED the Elvis songs that he sang. His songs were suspicious Minds and A Little Less Conversation. Two of my favorites and I hated his versions of them. I told Josh while we were watching it that I wasn't impressed with Chris' performances this week. Chris will get a recording contract anyway there is no doubt of his talent. I told you on Tuesday how I feel about Katharine, I cannot stand her. I think that she is screechy and annoying. This week proved no exception, I had to leave the room when she sang. Final point, I didn't vote I have no right to argue or complain. My opinion is that if you don't like how people are being voted off the show, do something about it. I didn't cast my votes this week so I am not complaining.

Way to go Elliot and Taylor for being the top two vote getters. Sing your hearts out next week and we will see you in the finale.

Jackson

2006-05-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Since I am on a photo post kick this week I decided to add another to the list. It has been a long time since I have done a Jackson post. Since Jackson did a kind of quirky thing this week I wanted to show you.

A view from the back

This is where Jackson sleeps daily

A Little Less Conversation

2006-05-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I am a HUGE American Idol fan! Usually by this point I have a favorite. This season is an exception. The final three gentleman in the contest are absolutely AWESOME! I cannot pick between them. I have no patience or tolerance for the final female contestant, Katharine McPhee. I find her annoying and cannot stand her voice. The funny thing about the final three men is that they are all different. Chris Daughtry is the cocky rocker. He sometimes softens up so that you can see what a sweetheart that he "could" be. Elliot Yamin is the crooner who is constantly on the edge of tears. He has risen from several health problems and has come out a VERY strong person. Finally Taylor Hicks! He has an excellent voice but he has so much energy. He is the type of person that you would really like for a while but is SO hyper that you have to take him in small doses.

Tonight as I sit and contemplate who to vote for I cannot decide. Tonight was Elvis Presley night so everyone sang 2 Elvis songs each. People at work make fun of me because I have a voting system. I vote for all the people that I like. I vote for them in order of how much I like them. I will sit and vote for my favorite until I am sick of pressing the button. Then less for the next favorite. I am to the point where I should be picking one person to vote for and not voting for almost all of them. So I guess that I will have to decide quickly as the time to vote ends......

Chicago

2006-05-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some Pictures from our day in Chicago

This is the U505 at The Museum of Science and Industry

Josh with one of the pistons from the U505

View of the Sears Tower from our hotel room

A view of the street from our hotel room

Way To Go Jr

2006-05-07T00:45:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr for winning tonight's NASCAR race in Richmond Va!! It was a very exiting race. The last 10 laps were very intense with 2 cautions and Jr having to fight to keep control of the lead. This was only his 2nd win in the last 47 races. The last being 27 or 28 races ago in Chicago last summer. Lets hope that he doesn't keep us waiting another 20+ races to win again. This season is a vast improvement over last season. Earnhardt fans everywhere can wear their colors proudly!

Welcome Home Ben

2006-05-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

To Honor Josh's Brother's return home for R & R from Iraq, I am posting some pictures that he sent us at the beginning of the year. There are over 200 pictures on the disk that we received. I picked a few to show you.

This is the sign that is on the back of their vehicles

This is an IED also known as a roadside bomb

This is just a stunningly beautiful photgraph. Amazing in all of the fighting and devastation beauty does exsist.

This is Josh's brother Ben