A Beautiful Ending

I have the best friends in the world. And the best husband. Although leaving my job on Thursday was difficult and emotional, they all made it a wonderful experience for me. They planned out a party for me, right there at work with all my buddies. As Selo had me shoving nickels into a broken vending machine (stalling tactic!!! lol), they were all waiting for me at my desk with balloons and food. AND rubber duckie napkins and the cutest little rubber duckie that quacks. (I am STILL amused with it, BTW.)

hanks goes out to Ashley, Chris, Mike, Sarah, and everyone else involved. And a special thanks to Jessica, who was the awesome chicka that put it all together. You guys have made the transition to NC so much easier- having friends makes all the difference. And I thank you for not only being my friends, but for being GOOD friends. Anybody can get friends, but I have been blessed with some of the most respectable, hard-working, always-there-for-you-no-matter-what, really good Christian friends. I can't tell you how much you guys mean to me.

The Sickness

Woke up sick today. Ugh. I know it is because of nerves this time. Today is my last day of work at Lowes. My last day of work in Corporate America. Pretty obvious why I would be sick to my stomach about this. I have been in Corporate America, in very intense positions, since I entered the working world at 18. I have been a mainstream business woman for all of my adult life. This will be the biggest change I have ever made to my career. It will be almost the biggest change in my life, second only to the priviledge of marrying my sweetheart. Who, by the way, is very supportive of this change. He is more excited than I am. I am concerned. I've never been one to "sit around the house" all day. I'm not sure how I am going to handle being the "stay-at-home-wife". I still get everything done that other wives do- clean the house, cook, run the errands, ect. I'm not sure how I am going to handle all this extra time on my hands. I'm sure I will enjoy relaxing for the first week or so. But after that, isn't it going to be so boring?

Anyway, back to my last day at work. I better enjoy it, because my entire life is about to change.

Why I'm tired (Thanks Crystal)

For a couple years I've been blaming it on lack of sleep,

not enough sunshine, too much pressure from my job, poor blood

or anything else I could think of.

But now I found out the real reason:

I'm tired because I'm overworked.

Here's why:. . ..

The population of this country is 273 million.

140 million are retired.

That leaves 133 million to do the work.

There are 85 million in school.

Which leaves 48 million to do the work.

Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government.

Leaving 19 million to do the work.

2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied.

Which leaves 16.2 million to do the work here.

Take from that total the 14.8 million people who work for

state and city governments.

And that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.

At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals.

Leaving 1,212,000 to do the work.

Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons.

That leaves just two people to do the work.

You and me.

And there you are sitting there, at your computer, reading jokes.

Nice. Real nice.

DING!!! And the light goes on.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I feel lighter and happier already. I have been letting this person walk all over me. I have been degraded, harassed, cussed out, talked down to, bad mouthed, and an endless list of other abuses by this person. And I have taken it all. Taken it nicely. Done my best to befriend and make peace with someone that only wanted drama. Someone that enjoyed my communication and my attempts at a friendship because she could use them as ammunition. I am pleased to say, I will no longer be enduring this. I have *finally* taken a stand against it, and stood up for myself. And I feel wonderful.

Here's what made me realize I DID NOT have to accept this type of treatment:
Speaking about children of divorce, specifically the parents and step-parents

Up until about the age of 10, there shouldn't be "mixing" of the households, so to speak. When they're older it's okay to do things in the same home or together - but at a younger age it's more important that they understand that it's NOT one big happy family.
Thank you to Alecia Worsala.

This means I don't have to be friends with the ex-wife. I don't! Thank you! I have tried endlessly to jump through whatever hoop she placed before me, in order to maintain peace. I have taken the heat everything she has a mood swing and gets upset. I have been the whipping boy any time she wants to get mad at somebody. I am an easy target for her. And I made myself available, because I thought it was what I had to do. But thankfully, with this small enlightenment, and many others from so many wonderful friends, it has finally gotten through my head. I don't have to take the abuse. I don't even have to speak with her. That means I don't have to respond to her emails or her IMs. I have now received three (yes three!) emails from her in the last two minutes. I've read the first one, it simply had an oh-so-mature explicit I shall not repeat (nor do I ever use something that vulgar). I haven't even had time to check the other two. Although I'm not sure I want to, now that I know I don't have to. The only time she ever emails me is when she wants to yell at me. The only time she messages me is if she wants something. She only time she is nice to me is when she has needs something else to hold over my head. I learned this long ago. And now, I have learned that it's okay for me not to take it. And with my wonderful husband sitting next to me, I am able to take the stand in my defense. I am able to leave this degrading and abusive relationship behind, and move on to people that give me the respect I deserved and have worked so hard earning. What a wonderful feeling it is, to remove such poisonous and hate from my world. I feel purely elated.

To be Googled. . .

. . . is to be a celebrity. This means I must be a celebrity! I wonder what someone was looking for when they googled my name? I wonder if it was a friend or enemy? I wonder if they found what they were looking for? I wonder if they know that I know they googled me ;)

The pain, the agony

Okay, it's not really that bad. I am only hurting a little bit. I went to the dentist today. I have had a pain trying to just get in, as the appt kept getting screwed up. But I was seen today. I love that dentist's office. I love Dr Roberts, love the staff, love the way I am cared for while I am in that chair, love way they don't make you wait forever every time you walk in.

I had a cleaning and a filling. The filling was a bit more than previously expected, but it's done. I am numb and sore. But I had rather be numb for a day, than feel any of it. Grr I hate those shots.

I got a clean bill of health. He said my teeth are very clean, and I have good oral hygiene. (I should! I brush morning and night, and I floss and use mouthwash every night.) Once again, I was told I could leave me permanent retainers in however long I wanted. I love hearing that. I had braces three freaking times, so I love hearing that those two little tiny wires are doing their job. And I was told, I have beautifully white teeth. *grins* I have been blessed with pretty teeth, and I work hard to keep them that way.

Most people hate going to the dentist. I don't. With as much work as I put into my teeth, I love hearing it is paying off. *Big smile*

Selo's Mini

Many have asked where the name SelosMini came from. So here's the story:

My husband's nickname is Selophane. (He has always been the one that has hold to hold everything together, so that's where he got his nickname.) Shortened, it is Selo. His friends call him Selo, his family calls him Selo, even I call him Selo.

He got me started playing FFXI about two years ago. I love the game. My characters name is MiniMarie. Shortly after I started playing, He got his sister and bro-in-law to play. We would all get together with our computers (just one for each of us, not all that we owned) and game together. He was known as Selo, and I as Mini.

When Selo and I got married, I happily became Selo's Mini <3

4GB vs 128MB

I need a bigger zip drive. It's official. Since I am leaving my job, I am pulling all my personal files off my work computer. Like pictures, specifically wedding pictures. We were married March 2007 (almost four months!) had well over 1000 taken, and I have most of them on the desktop at home. I found a file of 300 pics on my work pc. (Although with several other pic files.) So I pull out my trusty zip drive, and start moving files. I am simply moving them from the pc to my laptop. about two inches, and a drastic change in hardware. Then for the first time, I am told there isn't enough space. I clear the zip, and start over. Same thing. After a very frustrating few minutes, I end up having to divide it into seven different smaller files. I am going to have to pull each one individually. Needless to say I am not so thrilled about this little endeavor. My kind and friendly neighbor is generous enough to spare me the pain of this, and offers me his 4gig zip. I get them all moved over in one clean and easy movement. Thank you, Chris. I have never really felt like I was behind the times when it came to my laptop or internet or even zip. My husband is extremely savvy, thanks to his work we have the luxury of needing a high speed connection (10 mgs), we have a very nice PC, and we both have fairly nice laptops (okay his is totally Uber). But now, I feel ancient. I have been humiliated by 128mgs.

Pepsi still believes in God

There has been a rumor going around for quite some time about Pepsi removing "Under God" from it's newly designed label. This rumor is at least a few years old, as I have heard it for a long time. Well I got tired of hearing about it, and I did some research. I don't drink Pepsi (or Coke, or Dr Pepper, or any other soda for that matter), but I do believe in God and America. I am pleased to say, this is purely a rumor. You can still drink Pepsi and be a good American Christian. (lol Don't get on my case about Pepsi being unAmerican. I'm making a positive statement here.)


You can check Snopes or Urban Legends, to see for yourself. And feel free to reply to all those spams you get with these two addresses. I'm sure those drama queen spammers would love to read them!

Do you work in Corp America?

Then you probably work with people near you. I do, and I found THIS article very helpful.
*Means I have to put away all my permanent black markers. :(

An American Soldier helping with a Lesson from God

A United States soldier was attending some college courses between Assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a member of the
ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."


The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes Went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting." It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Soldier got out of his Chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.


The soldier went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.

The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the soldier and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Soldier calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me."

The Power of Music

We had an excellent lesson in our church meetings today. My Aunt Lisa was the instructor for the Relief Society, and I went in to the lesson just to hear her. She used a talk by Elder Jay E Jensen, The Nourishing Power of Hymns. He speaks about the power that music has to influence us, especially in religious matters:

"Two missionaries teaching an older couple in their home in Peru were interrupted by the arrival of the couple's son, his wife, and three children. The elders explained who they were and what they were doing. The son was suspicious of the missionaries, resulting in an awkward moment. The junior companion prayed silently, "Heavenly Fater, what do we do?" The impression came to sing. They sang "I Am A Child of God." The spirit touched the hearts of this family of five. Instead of two converts, all seven became members, influenced initially by a hymn."

This is an amazing story for the newest members. But I also think of the way the power of music influenced the missionaries. Can you imagine the relief and comfort it brought?

I enjoy the music that is played in Sacrament meeting. I enjoy the prelude music, which gives me an opportunity to relax and prepare for the meetings. I enjoy the hymns during sacrament, which allow the congregation to unite in singing prior to every prayer. I love the way the music stays with me throughout the day, and keeps the Spirit of the Sabbath with me.

I remember one Sacrament meeting, just after our pianist had been released. (We are such a small ward we don't have another one yet. I am studying right now. My goal is to play in Sacrament by Christmas.) We had prelude music from cds, and were about to sing the opening hymn. The cd player quit working just as the music began, but we kept singing. "The Spirit of God" has never been more beautiful.

Aunt Lisa also included a fun little game with the lesson. Unscramble the song titles. For example: "Many are grateful, Elohim, for one to guide us" is "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet". Here are the rest of them- I got five of these correct. You can post your answers here or email them to me.

1- Low under the valley bottom

2- Rescuer of those in bondage to the Egyptians

3- Approach, Approach though virtuous people

4- Exist motionless my essence

5- the first person departs somplace thou desires the first person to depart to

6- Solid like the foothils in the region of the many

Let the skies open. . .

. . . And the rain fall. Not only do we have an ocean of rain falling on us, but the lightning is so frequent right now that the thunder is constant. When one rolling rumble passes, the next has already started. It is a beautiful sound- and terrifying to watch. I had to drive home in this, and thank heavens it was a short drive. I came home and immediately crawled into my husband's lap. We need this rain so badly. I love the rain out here. Because I grew up in Utah, rain seemed un-natural. Now that I am here, I see the effect of rain. And it is wonderful.

I couldn't have. . .

. . . said it better myself. On Discussion Thank you, Jacob J!
(This is one of those new blogs I am out to find. I am loving it. Know of another fresh blog? Please, let me know!)

PS3 Warranty

I was reading the warranty info on the PS3, and I had to make a comment or two about it. Let me say this- I am so glad we live in NC. Check this out:

Rant
"Utah Only: Coverage afforded under the Plan is not guaranteed by the Property and Casualty Guaranty Association. After this Plan has been in effect for sixty (60) days, We may cancel this Plan only for the following reasons: (i) nonpayment of premium, (ii) material misrepresentation, (iii) substantial change in the risk assumed, unless We should reasonably have forseen the change or contemplated the rish when entering into the Plan; or (iv) substantial breaches of contractual duties, conditions, or warranties. Teh notice of cancellation must be in writing to You at Your last known address and contain all of the following: (i) the Plan number, (ii) the date of notice, (iii) the effective date of the cancellation, and (iv) a detailed explanation of the reason for cancellation."

So basically, the can can cancel the warranty or refuse repair/ replacement simply because they want to after sixty days.

Rave
"North Carolina Only: You understand that the purchase of this plan is not required to purchase or to obtain financing for the Product. We may not cancel this Plan except for nonpayment by You of for Your violation of any of the terms and conditions of this Plan."

So basically, the plan will cover what it is supposed to and won't be cancelled for any random reason.
I know which state *I* would rather work with. :) Gotta love NC <3>

"DreamGirls" (Movie)

I thought Dreamgirls was a good movie. I enjoy the Rise-From-The-Bottom stories of conquering the world- or in this case Hollywood. The talented cast fit their roles (Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé Knowles). The music was tactful and in character with the film. I enjoyed the stage performances in the movie. Although the emotional breakdown of Effie (played VERY well by Jennifer Hudson) was a little long and dramatic, she was my favorite. The story itself is a bit dramatic and predictable, but that's Hollywood. I agree with it's several nominations and awards: 2007 Academy Award®: Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson; 2007 Academy Award®: Best Supporting Actor nominee: Eddie Murphy; 2007 BAFTA®: Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson

In closing, I recommend it for those of you that enjoy musicals, and don't mind a long movie.

He Earned It

We did so much today. We met Mr Eller this morning to get the keys to our new place. Yay! We will begin moving in this week- maybe as soon as tomorrow. Got any boxes anyone? Because we are going to need them. Although we are planning on getting rid of most of our big stuff, and selling a lot of the little stuff. We will be having a "Quarter Sale" on Saturday- everything is a quarter. We don't need the money for it. But we want to get rid of stuff for CHEAP so that it is gone, and FreeSales don't work- I've tried them. Selo wants a quarter sale, then a quarter sale it shall be. We will probably enlist the assistance of Max and Pixie to help us, and reward them with spending the night and playing on whatever gaming system they choose. Which brings me to the next event- Selo bought his PS3 today. He has been saving forever. I wasn't so interested in buying one because I hadn't yet been thrilled by it and couldn't really see past the price ($600!!!). So he rented one for two weeks, and showed me the wonders of it. <3 href="http://www.gamestop.com/">Babbages (which is now one with EB and Gamestop). She was awesome. She was very down-to-earth, talked so we BOTH could understand (instead of treating me like the dumb side kick), she didn't try to flirt with my man- in front of me or behind my back, and she *really* knew her stuff. Needless to say, I am impressed. If you ever visit Babbages at Valley Hill's Mall, ask for Crystal. You won't be disappointed.

A quick rant: The eX Factor. She sent Selo another packet (of legal crap, same crap she has sent six times already), but she continues to send it to my Dad's house. He has told her I-don't-know-how-many-times NOT to send it there. He wants his mail sent to him. Is that too much to ask? Okay rant over. In better news, he finally got the paperwork today about his child support he was waiting for. So another step will be taken care of this coming week. Can't tell you how glad he is to finally have received it. lol It was great.

I took some very cute pics of the kittens tonight. They had their first venture outside. Sweetie didn't seem to be a big fan of it, but later she actually went outside and played with Piper for a while. She hasn't been outside since long before she had the babies. It was good for her.

FFXI is in a muddle right now. I want to play, and level, and farm, and enjoy. But I am so unmotivated. I am up to BLM41 so I am actually making progress. I honestly can't wait until I have a Black Cloak and I can cast ancient magick. I need to just play every Tuesday like Selo and I have planned, just play no matter what. I love playing and I enjoy it while I am in game.

I am being overloaded with Freebies for digiscrapping. I am DLing everything and loving every minute of it. Although I am beginning to have trouble keeping track of where everything is coming from, which will pose a problem in giving credit when I need to. Any ideas on ways to stay organized are oh-so-welcome. I also joined a digiscrap forum, DSO. I have been looking for a good digiscrap forum, and have seen this one a few times. I am looking forward to getting involved in it.

Today I dressed the flowers Selo received from Florida the other day. They are absolutely gorgeous. A mix of red and white roses, white purple and green in the mix. There was also a small American Flag to complete it with. I took some pics of them tonight, and I will take more as they bloom. Breathtaking and beautiful. A wonderful way to show respect.

Alright, I am off to check a few other things. I have another thing or two I want to post about tonight, so I will return :)

Such A Good MamaKitty

I just witnessed the cutest thing. We have five kittens right now, along with the MommyCat- Sweetie, and my cat, Piper. The kittens are so cute, and Sweetie is such a good MamaKitty.

When I get up in the morning and when I come home from work, I always go "check" on the kittens. (After using hand sanitizer) I pick each one up, love it briefly, then put it back. Selo has been looking and listening and studying them, trying to see if any stand out to him. He's beginning to favor one of the light colored ones. There are two, and he likes the little fat one with it's eyes open. Today I took both of the light ones back to the office and put them on his stomach. Sweetie followed us back there (like a good little mommy) and kept a close eye on her babies. After Selo loved on them for a minute, I held one down and let Sweetie carry it back to the nest. The other one, I brought out to the the couch with me. I laid down, and put it on the pillow in front of me. It was moving around on it's wobbly little legs, and making little kitten sounds. Sweetie came around, sniffed it, made sure he was okay, and then let me continue to pet her while the kitten moved around. Well baby kitten isn't too stable on the legs, and fell (about two inches) between my legs and the pillow. I moved the pillow to allow Sweetie to see the kitten, and guess what she does? She grabs it with her paw. lol I laughed at this, because I had never seen her do it before. Well apparently, she didn't think she was grabbing fast enough, because she bit it on the tail and pulled backward! I am really laughing now. She finally got a hold of kitten enough to take it back to the nest, and then she was satisfied again. I really wish I could have gotten pictures of it. I am still laughing about it. I love watching these little babies grow. What a pleasure it has been <3>

Happy Birthday President Hinckley!!!

Let me start off by saying, I think this man is amazing. I would consider him a God, if it weren't so blasphemous. He has done great things for the Latter Day Saint religion, and for any person or organization he has come in contact with. I have an incredibly deep respect for the man, and I have never heard anyone else (personally, privately, or publicly) ever say a negative thing about him. I enjoy reading anything I can get my eyes on that he has written or said.

President Hinckley will be celebrating his 97th birthday tomorrow.

Happy Birthday President Hincley!!!

My world is changing

I'm moving on. What does this mean? I am leaving behind my job and the place we (Selo and I) live, and experiencing the drastic "Career Change" that everyone is supposed to have every seven years. Well it's my time. And now, it's official. I gave my notice at work and to the LL.

I have accepted a position as a full time Home Health Care Nurse. I will be the full time care giver of a wonderful elderly couple by the name of Eller. I will be leaving Lowes Corporate Office behind, and venturing into the world of health care. And I couldn't be more excited. Selo and I had planned for me to do this at the end of the year through a different route- I was going to quit work and go to school full time. I was going to study to work in Geriactrics, preferably in private home health and care giving. So when this opportunity was offered to me, we decided it was the direct route into exactly what I wanted. I will begin at the beginning of next month.

This also means we will be moving. We will be leaving our two bedroom private home in the woods behind and moving into the lower level of a home on 70 acres. Although I love our little home, I am not unhappy about our new home. Our new home is fully furnished, so we will leave behind (or give away!) the couch, tables, and such. (We received them simply because we didn't have any, so we are not greatly attached to them.) We will take with us our dishes, towels, and other smaller household items. We will also be taking Piper, Sweetie, and the babies with us. Seventy acres should be enough for those two to roam around without bothering each other.

Ivan and Sylvania are very pleasant. They are both in their upper 80s, and have many life experiences to tell about- which I am greatly looking forward to. Ivan is on oxygen, but both of them get around and are mobile. They have a CNA that comes in twice a day, seven days a week. (I will be learning from her directly.) Their meals are made for them in the home, or brought to them from outside. Their household shopping is done every Saturday, when Mr Eller (their son) takes Sylvania out for her weekly appt with her hairdresser. They visit the beauty parlor, go to breakfast, do the shopping, then come home and review any bills that came that week and any needs for the coming week. Mr and Mrs Eller pick them up for church services Sunday mornings. I will be there to assist with daily care, slight meals and housekeeping, and be there at night for any needs. We will be provided with a furnished home and all utilities, as well as a vehicle to drive.

At first I was concerned that I would be bored. I have been a full career woman working outside the home for as long as I have been working. (Even when I had Hayden, I went back to work two weeks later.)I have been the breadwinner, the full time employee, and the Corp American guru for my entire working life. I was going to move into health care because I wanted an easier, laid back (comparatively), less stressful position. I was and am VERY ready for the change. But the more I think about my new position, my new career, it becomes more than that to me. It is going to change my life. Change my routine, my world, and my lifestyle. I may be bored for the first few days, but I look forward to the breathe of fresh air that will come when I am forced to slow down. I look forward to sitting in the yard enjoying the sunshine WITHOUT thinking about what time I have to work tomorrow or how many people called me today. I look forward to taking a walk with Selo that doesn't involve paperwork. I suppose what I am getting at, is that I am looking forward to leaving the business world behind, and getting back to the simplicity of living and enjoying my life and the world around me.

Welcome To My life

As always, I must have an opening for my blog. Welcome. I hope you enjoy your reading.

Personally, I enjoy reading a blog that is updated daily. So I will be doing my best to update daily, if not more. I enjoy comments, and always look at linkbanks that are left. I am glad to finally have somewhere to linkback to for all the comments I leave for others! This blog will be ever changing, so bookmark and check back frequently. Especially here in the beginning, as I update until I am pleased with what I have.

EFIT: This entry may look funny here in the middle of all these other posts, but it was the actual first entry I made in this blog. Any posts that are before this one, and a few that are after, have been moved over from another blog before it was deleted. When I did that, I didn't have the heart to delete my very first post. So here it is, and here it will stay.

Mom's Results

Mom has an appt tomorrow (or today since it's one in the morning) to get the results of all her testing. Please keep her in your prayers.

Love you Mom <3

The PonyTail Bandit

Selo told me about this story this morning, and I had to find out for myself. She's for real!!! Now I know that if she were to rob my bank and I lost money, I would be ticked off. But right now, I am sitting here laughing my butt off. I hope she doesn't do anything more serious, and leaves these crimes as her worst.

ABC News

Fox News

Statesman.com

and even America's Most Wanted

Hello Michigan

Monday morning, we went to work, but Selo was having a hard time. He couldn't think about work at all and his mind kept drifting to Will and the funeral/ memorial service. He was pretty upset, and after several trips to the car with him to help him calm down, I suggested (randomly and out of the blue) that we just leave and go to Michigan to visit his sister. Selo got quiet for a minute as he thought about it (okay it was half a second) and then called Sanny right away. I couldn't quite tell if one or both of them were in tears, but she immediately said yes and we started making plans. The emails started flying- Sanny for directions, Judy for help with the brand new kittens, and on and on. By noon, both Selo's boss and my boss had told us to leave and get on the road- we were too preoccupied to get any work done. We went home, packed, cleaned the house, finished other details (mail held, bank, ect) and we were on the road. It was a ten/ eleven hour drive and we made it almost without incident. (Thank you to Officer S, who was nice enough to overlook the crappy scandal at the dealership. He decided NOT to strand me in the middle of no where and put my husband in jail while impounding the vehicle. Stupid dealership) We finally got there around 4 am. Sanny and Selo were both crying as they held each other for this first time in over a year.
Tuesday we slept in and recovered from the long drive. Sanny walked us to a cute little grocery store nearby, and we had pancakes and strawberries with excellent syrup for breakfast. Once Gary got off work, we drove around and they showed us some of the sights. There was a beautiful church. I have some great pictures

Wednesday we layed around and talked all day long. We got up on each other's lives and played a lot of FFXI. When Gary got off work, we all went to the mall. We saw Surf's Up (so cute!) and we got to eat at Panda Express. <3 Panda

Thursday Sanny took us to the beach. It was different from any beach we had seen before! In Michigan, they have water parks at the beach. Free and open to all. Water sprays up from the ground and through pipes. It was so much fun! Selo and I played around in them (and with some of the kids that were there), and then we all sat and watched everyone play in the water. And I only got a little bit sunburned. Once, again, I have pics :) That night for dinner, Sanny taught me how to make Chicken cordon Blue, and WOW was it good! I can't believe how easy it is, but even more I couldn't believe how good it tasted. We were all in heaven.

Friday, Sanny spent the day online with me. She taught me about having her own website, graphics, PSP, dolling, frontpage, and half a million other things. She dolled this cute little couple for me of Selo and I. We talked about digital scrapbooking, and we DLed stuff all day long. We found SO much free stuff! lol With both of us DLing, we could get twice as much in half the time! Once I get the software I need, I am going to get start putting pages together, and Sanny has promised to help me. I swear, I have the best SIL in the world. Gary got off work early on Friday, so we all sat around for a while and relaxed. Then, we went to this fabulous restaraunt (I can't remember the name of it- help me out Sanny, please!). After I got over the traumitization of raw meat, I decided it was my new favorite place. Mmmm it was SO good. After dinner we went to visit a friend of theirs and stayed until late that night.

Saturday, we had a big breakfast again. We all played FFXI and Gary helped Selo and I with a mission (Windy 2-3). In the afternoon, they took us to Coney Island, a restaraunt with yummy chili dogs. After dinner, we went to a party at Paul and Terri's. We were there until late again, but we had a great time. Party all night long lol And again, I have some pics.

Sunday, Selo and I packed up our stuff, and got on the road. we stopped at Del Taco one last time (!!!), and we were off. We took our time on the way home though. We each called our dad(s), and Selo tried to call his girls, so he could talk to them for Father's day (didn't get to though :(). We stopped at Shoney's for dinner, and then I drove. Selo had DLed "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki to his PSP before we left, and we listened to that most of the way home. (Now as you know, I absolutely love financial books. I can't get enough of them. Well let me recommend this one. It was awesome. We learned so much- even the first ten minutes were incredible.) We finally rolled into our driveway around midnight. After visiting with the cats for a minute or two (they missed us a lot!) and checking on the cute baby kittens, we were off to bed. Set the alarm, say our prayers, and that was the end of our trip.

All in all, it was a great trip. Michigan is beautiful, we got to meet Gary, and it was so wonderful to see Sanny. (Sanny looks wonderful! I don't think I have ever seen her so happy or smiley or whatever you want to call it. She was almost glowing!) Selo and Sanny are so close, and it was such a wonderful thing to see them together again. Nothing compares to being with your own family. It was awesome, and we are already planning our next trip up there. The next time we visit, we will go to Canada, go camping, and to the Detroit temple. Between the four of us, things were a lot of fun, and it seems that we are all ready for more time spent together.

What Happened To Jack?

Jack died today. I'm not very happy, so needless to say, I'm not in the mood to be online. Here is where you can read about Jack and here are the diary entries for him. The last one tells what we know. He may have only been a cat, but anyone that knew his story, knows why this would bother me so much.

Thank you, to those of you that have been trying to help find him a home. I suppose now he has gone Home, and is better off than the rest of us.

Rest in Peace Jack

3 Months

We have been married for three months today And for our anniversary, we got a PS3. Hahaha got you excited didn't it? Well we didn't buy it (yeah, like we could afford THAT right now), we rented it. It's pretty cheap to rent it, and Selo even talked the guy into letting us have it for double the time. (Another reason I love my man.) We got it last night, and we have big plans for this weekend. We are going to get a blue ray flick to watch , mess around with my iPod on it, and play with the games that came with it. What a wonderful celebration.

Speaking of anniversaries, I was thinking last night at all the "anniversaries" for Selo and I that I remember. lol We sure have a lot of them. Nov 9, 2001- the day we met. May 1, 2005- the day we began dating. August 8, 2006- the day we moved across the country together. March 7, 2007- our wedding day. My life has been so wonderful with him in it. *happy sigh*

In other news, I am finally learning HTML. It was definitely DreamWeaver that was getting in the way. I have a webpage I made all on my own, and I am starting on my second one today. There is still a lot to learn, but I making awesome progress.

Selo showed me the cutest picture of Katie (his oldest daughter). He has it set as the background on his desktop. OMGosh she is growing up. Lizz (her mom) said she even did her own hair in the photo- it's adorable! I am amazed at how grown up she looks. lol Her parents must be so proud.

Our poor kitty. She's so fat. Her poor belly is so much bigger than the rest of her. I don't know if she can get much bigger without popping. But we have been waiting for her to have the kittens for about two weeks. I obviously don't know much about this, because I am clueless when it comes to kitty pregnancy. It's a good thing SHE knows what she is doing.

I was offered another job last weekend. This one is actually a really good opportunity. Selo and I are talking about it, and we should know by the begining of the week what we will be doing. Selo's job, on the other hand, has us slightly concerned. The company he works for is splitting into three companies. (They do several different things, and they are seperating into different companies to increase the focus and therefore increase the revenue for each.) He has a pretty good position right now, but we are nervous. Simply because companies that split do a lot of lay-offs, and we don't want that to happen to us.

I love piano I really do. I love the lessons, I love my instructor (Ms Anita), I love practicing, and I *love* knowing that I am creating that beautiful music. I have two new piano books, and I am flying through the lessons. It's just such a peaceful feeling.

Okay, I have work today. Two more days on this night shift, and then I am on days. Twenty more work hours. Two more trips to work, and two more trips home. I don't know who is more excited, me or Selo.

Have a wonderful day, and a wonderful night. I am going to get the house ready for Selo and I to play tonight, and then I am off to work. /wave

Mom's MRI

Tomorrow is Mom's MRI. She already had two other tests this week, and tomorrow is the MRI. They still don't know what is wrong, and not knowing is making me even more nervous. We get the results of the MRI and the rest of the tests on the 21st. Please keep her/ us in your prayers. It is greatly needed right now. Thanks Everyone.

For All You Bloggers Out There . . .

. . . that want/ need to improve your pagerank, try this. And let me know how it goes. I don't have a pagerank on my personal site yet, but I have been thinking about it. This man is offering a free seminar on how to improve your pagerank.

So for anyone that has a blog outside of MS, let me know. I have a few daily reads, but I would love to see more personal blogs.

My Last Saturday

Tomorrow (or today, as the case may be) is my last Saturday to work until my schedule changes. I am excited, and Selo is thrilled. Seriously, He is so excited to have me all to himself on Saturdays now. Next week will be really easy- I am off Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, work Wed, Thur, and Friday, then I am off again Saturday and Sunday. Plus two of my other girlfriends at work got shift bids, so they will be changing schedules too.

Max and Pixie came over tonight to party with Selo and I. Just a fun play all night to game and eat pizza and ice cream till all hours. I love having them over. I posted some pics of them getting into the game. Pixie is quite the boxing champ.

We watched Mean Girls. First of all, that is SO not a high school movie. Second, I guess sometimes it takes a bad movie to help me realize I am better off without the drama queens in my life. One in particular came to mind. I didn't realize how much I was being dragged down. And it was a wonderfully relieving realization.

We finally have a plan for school. And a really good one. After spending many hours, days, and weeks praying about it, we finally have decided what to do.

Sweetie is going to pop any day now. The poor kitty is so fat. I can feel the babies moving, it's so weird. Here are all the kitties, if you want their updates, and here is Sweetie (and her diary). I know I won't be the only one that will be happy when she has those kittens.

I went back to the nurse today to check my weight. It has been four weeks and two days since I weighed in at 101. I lifted all of my eating restrictions and have been doing everything they tell you not to do- munching all day long, eating before bed, ect. So needless to say I was highly disappointed when I had only gained one, single pound in a month. *shakes head* I guess I won't to worry about being over weight. But I have noticed that although the scale doesn't show it, my stomach has. I have more weight on my body, if that makes sense. And I'm not sick anymore, so that is the good thing.

There is a new baby in our family. My wonderful SIL Sharon had her second baby tonight. We have a new healthy baby boy. Born 7 lbs 14 oz, 20.5 inches long, and lots of hair. I can't wait until I can show some pics. I've been told he's really cute. But then again, who in Selo's family HASN'T been cute?

I have been making progress on my website. Actual progress. I am part of a forum that has been really supportive and helpful to me. And I finally am feeling good. I am learning HTML. I have a book that is giving me step-by-step lessons, and a blog where I am keeping track of my progress and screenshots of my site at the end of every night. Someone asked me the other day what it felt like to be a geek. I told them I didn't feel like I had earned such a great title yet, but I look forward to the day I am honored enough to be a geek.