I know that quite a few people who read blogs don't actually read comments so I had to repost this comment from my friend Reba about the jerkfaces I wrote about the other day
"When people say "think of those who have it worse" it actually does work for me but in the wrong way. I think a kind hearted person would feel even WORSE when they hear that because then they would be thinking of poverty and famine and a whole bunch of terrible stuff that isnt' going away anytime soon. Selfishly though, it makes me feel better about what I have. Which is the desired effect when poeple say it - to make the person feel worse for others or selfishly better?"
Yes! That was my point, only better said. So let's say I'm miserable and you say 'but it could be so much worse think of ...' am I supposed to feel better like a total bitch because other people have it so bad or am I supposed to feel worse because not only am I sad but I'm also apparently a horrible person for feeling bad since there are so many others who have it worse than I? Ha! People understand me!
Which isn't to say that I'm miserable right now, I'm not at all, I just get tired of people who say mean things or people who intend to say nice things but it comes out mean. For example, an elderly lady who I see a lot at work told me the other day "I can't get over that you are 29 weeks pregnant! You don't look pregnant at all, you just look chubby!' Annnndd, that's supposed to make me feel what? Good? No.
Pregnancy is a strange thing. People say bizarre things to you and you feel like you are living in another person's body. My hair is crazy nuts and there is nothing I can do with it. My fingernails are strong and smooth for the first time ever (they're normally very ridge-y but now completely ridgeless). My shoes barely fit. My rings hurt my fingers. All these things (plus a million more) make it very disorienting to be pregnant. The little parasite is changing my whole life and body and everything.
It's totally worth it though, you know.
Showing posts with label Day By Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day By Day. Show all posts
09 April 2009
03 April 2009
Most Obnoxious Phrase EVAR!
Today, I was a bad person.
Let me start by telling you all what the most obnoxious phrase in the English language is. It is 'just you wait'. FUDGE that drives me crazy!! This gets said to pregnant women in particular all the time. When you complain in your first trimester about being nauseous other moms laugh cloyingly and say 'just you wait until you're nauseous AND have heartburn AND have hemorrhoids'. In your second trimester when you complain that you're tired they say 'just you wait until the third trimester, you think you're tired now!' And now, in the third trimester, if I say ANYTHING they say 'just you wait until you have a newborn in the house'.
Now, I know that they're right but just because things get worse doesn't mean that your own current discomfort doesn't count. This, to me, is the same concept as when you're struggling with some problem in your life and people say 'but think about how many people out there have it worse!' See, that doesn't help. Then you could also think about how many people out there have it better! There are always people out there who have it better than you and always people who have it worse than you (unless maybe you're Job) but that in no way helps with your current situation. IN NO WAY.
The moms who say 'just you wait' always say it with that little half grin on their face like 'poor, sweet child thinks it's bad now, how cute and delusional'. So, people, it is really, really rude and frustrating to tell a pregnant woman 'just you wait'. Really. Rude.
That being said, Paul just called to tell me that he asked a co-worker today if she was okay because she looked really tired. Her response was 'Well, I am tired, I'm a mom to be!' Paul thought she looked awfully skinny so he asked her how far along she was and she told him that she was five weeks. He told me that and people I'm horrified to say that I laughed and said 'just you wait'.
Let me start by telling you all what the most obnoxious phrase in the English language is. It is 'just you wait'. FUDGE that drives me crazy!! This gets said to pregnant women in particular all the time. When you complain in your first trimester about being nauseous other moms laugh cloyingly and say 'just you wait until you're nauseous AND have heartburn AND have hemorrhoids'. In your second trimester when you complain that you're tired they say 'just you wait until the third trimester, you think you're tired now!' And now, in the third trimester, if I say ANYTHING they say 'just you wait until you have a newborn in the house'.
Now, I know that they're right but just because things get worse doesn't mean that your own current discomfort doesn't count. This, to me, is the same concept as when you're struggling with some problem in your life and people say 'but think about how many people out there have it worse!' See, that doesn't help. Then you could also think about how many people out there have it better! There are always people out there who have it better than you and always people who have it worse than you (unless maybe you're Job) but that in no way helps with your current situation. IN NO WAY.
The moms who say 'just you wait' always say it with that little half grin on their face like 'poor, sweet child thinks it's bad now, how cute and delusional'. So, people, it is really, really rude and frustrating to tell a pregnant woman 'just you wait'. Really. Rude.
That being said, Paul just called to tell me that he asked a co-worker today if she was okay because she looked really tired. Her response was 'Well, I am tired, I'm a mom to be!' Paul thought she looked awfully skinny so he asked her how far along she was and she told him that she was five weeks. He told me that and people I'm horrified to say that I laughed and said 'just you wait'.
16 March 2009
No time for love, Dr. Jones
We have become 'those' people. We both trudge to work, come home, discuss the dogs and their needs, discuss the baby and his needs, watch a little TV, discuss how much we don't want to go to work the next day aaaaand repeat.
We've both been lucky though because Paul got several hours of overtime this weekend and then went to some bigwigs house to work on his computer and got some money for that too. Paul has also been told that there will probably be more overtime available this week and we're both psyched about that. I'm getting eight hours of overtime this week at minimum as well so that's exciting. The money that Paul made this past weekend alone covers the bill for the co-pay that we just got from my ER visit at the end of last year when I had my subchorionic hemmorhage so that's kind of exciting.
We're both so stressed and tired though, it's becoming difficult. It would be easier if we could ever buy anything fun or interesting with our money, but alas, priorities call instead. We actually may have both fallen in love with bedding, of all things, this weekend and I had to forcibly drag us both away from the most gorgeous bed-in-a-bag that I have ever seen. We have to be smart though because there are so terribly many expenses coming up in the next couple of months.
My to-do list is looonnggg and my energy level is low
Our upcoming expenses list is looonnggg and our income is small
But we are happy together, managing so far and looking forward to our little tax deduction
That's about all I have to say about that.
We've both been lucky though because Paul got several hours of overtime this weekend and then went to some bigwigs house to work on his computer and got some money for that too. Paul has also been told that there will probably be more overtime available this week and we're both psyched about that. I'm getting eight hours of overtime this week at minimum as well so that's exciting. The money that Paul made this past weekend alone covers the bill for the co-pay that we just got from my ER visit at the end of last year when I had my subchorionic hemmorhage so that's kind of exciting.
We're both so stressed and tired though, it's becoming difficult. It would be easier if we could ever buy anything fun or interesting with our money, but alas, priorities call instead. We actually may have both fallen in love with bedding, of all things, this weekend and I had to forcibly drag us both away from the most gorgeous bed-in-a-bag that I have ever seen. We have to be smart though because there are so terribly many expenses coming up in the next couple of months.
My to-do list is looonnggg and my energy level is low
Our upcoming expenses list is looonnggg and our income is small
But we are happy together, managing so far and looking forward to our little tax deduction
That's about all I have to say about that.
29 January 2009
Questions Du Jour
#1) How can I have lost a pound in the 19 weeks that I've been pregnant and yet have an increasingly giant belly? Does the weight migrate from, say, my thighs, to my belly? If so that would be FANFREAKINGTASTIC!
#2) What kind of socks can you buy when even little ankle socks cut off all circulation to your feet?
#3) Can I go for another 21 weeks without any sleep?
#4) Why do people hang their pictures anywhere but eye level? (My mom hangs her pictures like 2 feet from the ceiling and someone hung a picture across from my desk at work over the couch and the picture is one inch from the top of the couch. How much time per day can I spend in plotting to move that picture? A LOT)
#5) How do you get rid of a musty smell in your house caused by two separate floods in your house after less than two months living there?
#6) How do you get rid of a mouse in your house when the mouse seems to be subsisting on the food in your dog's dish?
#7) How is it that Hugh Laurie is so not-young, so kinda-wrinkly, so not-really-handsome and yet SOSOSO sexy?
Signing off,
Exhausted yet Frantic
#2) What kind of socks can you buy when even little ankle socks cut off all circulation to your feet?
#3) Can I go for another 21 weeks without any sleep?
#4) Why do people hang their pictures anywhere but eye level? (My mom hangs her pictures like 2 feet from the ceiling and someone hung a picture across from my desk at work over the couch and the picture is one inch from the top of the couch. How much time per day can I spend in plotting to move that picture? A LOT)
#5) How do you get rid of a musty smell in your house caused by two separate floods in your house after less than two months living there?
#6) How do you get rid of a mouse in your house when the mouse seems to be subsisting on the food in your dog's dish?
#7) How is it that Hugh Laurie is so not-young, so kinda-wrinkly, so not-really-handsome and yet SOSOSO sexy?
Signing off,
Exhausted yet Frantic
19 January 2009
Countdown
Well, tomorrow is the big day, eh people? This is all very exciting for so many people here in America and around the world that I think that even those who weren't too excited about Obama winning the election are still looking forward to this at least a little. I already have found that I don't agree with all of his policies but I'm still so terribly hopeful that he will do what he has promised; bring hope and change to a country that is suffering so much right now.
When I moved to America President Bush's approval rating was at an all time low...and then it got lower! And then lower still. And people here could sense that - sense that the country was miserable as a whole and that we needed help and sometimes it seemed/seems that Barack Obama was some sort of avenging angel ready to cure the sick and employ the jobless and feed the hungry and pull world peace out of his hat. And of course that isn't so and I truly hope that we won't all be devastated when he doesn't cure all of the country's ills in four years...because he won't.
Regardless of what your political views are I think that almost all of us (Elisabeth Hasselback excluded don'tgetmestarted) can agree that the past eight years haven't gone all that terribly well. Whether it is President Bush's fault or not the past few years have been rough on the country and now something different will begin. All we can hope for is that the different will be better.
When I moved to America President Bush's approval rating was at an all time low...and then it got lower! And then lower still. And people here could sense that - sense that the country was miserable as a whole and that we needed help and sometimes it seemed/seems that Barack Obama was some sort of avenging angel ready to cure the sick and employ the jobless and feed the hungry and pull world peace out of his hat. And of course that isn't so and I truly hope that we won't all be devastated when he doesn't cure all of the country's ills in four years...because he won't.
Regardless of what your political views are I think that almost all of us (Elisabeth Hasselback excluded don'tgetmestarted) can agree that the past eight years haven't gone all that terribly well. Whether it is President Bush's fault or not the past few years have been rough on the country and now something different will begin. All we can hope for is that the different will be better.
14 January 2009
*darts eyes nervously looking for the bad news*
It has been a pretty good week so far. And I have to tell you that I am so superstitious, or more accurately, paranoid, that I really don't like writing that as it makes me deeply frightened that I have seriously jinxed myself for the rest of the week. But, my weirdness aside, the week has been decent.
Today I'm 17 weeks pregnant and we had another checkup a few days ago. My blood pressure and weight are good (I haven't gained an ounce yet which the doctor says is just fine since A) I'm already overweight and B) My OB's say that women in general gain way too much weight during pregnancy and that unless you are underweight to begin with 15 pounds is enough for most women. This is fine with me since I haven't gained anything yet but I'm sure that it will piss me off big time if the pounds start piling on as of now.) and we heard the baby's heartbeat again with the Doppler and it was strong and steady at 151 bpm. We go back in around 3 weeks for the 20 week ultrasound which is an anatomy scan and a chance to learn the gender if we want to. I'm really conflicted about finding out the sex of our child so if any of you have anything you want to share with me in regards to whether or not you found out beforehand and whether you were glad that you had or hadn't I would sure like to know.
Also this week Paul found out that he still has a job which is excellent news since a large percentage of his company has already been laid off. The company has taken away many benefits and perks but at this point we're just grateful for a job.
And I got good news at work today too. I've been here well over three months now so I got an evaluation (which was good), a raise (which was terrific) and a new office chair (which was fantastic because I was about two weeks away from taking the thing out into a field and smashing it a la Office Space). Plus we're working on changing my shift so that I don't have to come in on Saturdays or perhaps only come in by appointment only. So I'm pleased with all that.
AND, Paul made dinner one day this week! Yay!
Today I'm 17 weeks pregnant and we had another checkup a few days ago. My blood pressure and weight are good (I haven't gained an ounce yet which the doctor says is just fine since A) I'm already overweight and B) My OB's say that women in general gain way too much weight during pregnancy and that unless you are underweight to begin with 15 pounds is enough for most women. This is fine with me since I haven't gained anything yet but I'm sure that it will piss me off big time if the pounds start piling on as of now.) and we heard the baby's heartbeat again with the Doppler and it was strong and steady at 151 bpm. We go back in around 3 weeks for the 20 week ultrasound which is an anatomy scan and a chance to learn the gender if we want to. I'm really conflicted about finding out the sex of our child so if any of you have anything you want to share with me in regards to whether or not you found out beforehand and whether you were glad that you had or hadn't I would sure like to know.
Also this week Paul found out that he still has a job which is excellent news since a large percentage of his company has already been laid off. The company has taken away many benefits and perks but at this point we're just grateful for a job.
And I got good news at work today too. I've been here well over three months now so I got an evaluation (which was good), a raise (which was terrific) and a new office chair (which was fantastic because I was about two weeks away from taking the thing out into a field and smashing it a la Office Space). Plus we're working on changing my shift so that I don't have to come in on Saturdays or perhaps only come in by appointment only. So I'm pleased with all that.
AND, Paul made dinner one day this week! Yay!
13 December 2008
Tears of...
Dangit, I've cried twice at work today! We're playing Christmas songs here now and Christmas songs in general make me just woozy with nostalgia. So far I've heard two different versions of "I'll be home for Christmas" which is just really the saddest song ever, but I did manage not to cry the second time I heard it. Then they played that cursed "Feed the World" or "Do They Know Its Christmas" or whatever its called. I can't help it, I love that song, I think it evokes such a vivid picture of how much we have and how little so many others have. I get weepy right from the beginning but then when it gets to the part where Bono belts out "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" I nearly fall over dead. See, now I'm crying again.
I'm so excited about our trip to Canada next week but so nervous about the cost and the dogs (being boarded) and customs and all the things that still need to be done in the next week while I'm still trying to unpack boxes from our recent move that I'm just a bundle of frayed nerves waiting for an excuse to bawl again. Don't you wish you were married to me?
I'm so excited about our trip to Canada next week but so nervous about the cost and the dogs (being boarded) and customs and all the things that still need to be done in the next week while I'm still trying to unpack boxes from our recent move that I'm just a bundle of frayed nerves waiting for an excuse to bawl again. Don't you wish you were married to me?
08 December 2008
Must go faster
Wow, I can't believe its been 2 weeks since I last updated. Where does the freakin time go? Anyway, we successfully moved to our new place. Its been unpleasant, as a move always it, but we had excellent movers who were very fast and in the end only cost a little over half of what I had budgeted. On Friday we attempted to do laundry for the first time in the new place and I guess something had happened to the hose on our washer during the move and boy, did we have a heck of a flood. At 12:30 in the morning Paul woke me up out of a dead sleep to help mop up the living room carpet while he tried to shut off the water. The washer was out of commission on Saturday and we hadn't done laundry in so long that every stitch of my clothing, all the towels and all the bedding were filthy so Paul came down to my work and read on the couch in our waiting room while the laundry did its thing in our coin operated laundry room. Then we went to Wal-Mart and Paul got some supplies to fix the washer...they didn't work so he had to go back to Wal-Mart and buy new hoses and that worked, thank the Lord. Unfortunately we had to spend a fortune on coins for the machines and on the new supplies, plus Paul had to spend half his weekend fixing the dang washer. But I was deeply impressed that he did it all by himself in the end.
Other than that most things seem to be okay in this place (except for the unleashed pitbull that roams around the neighborhood and this morning nosed through all our garbage so I had to go out and rebag all the nasty leftovers and crap. SO MAD, I was) I'm probably 75% unpacked, if I had to guess.
On another note, my little Waffles AKA the biggest Boston Terrier in the Whole Wide World, is turning two years old today. In dog years he is now a full grown man although he still acts and looks very, very puppy like. Just over the past few weeks though his destructive habits have taken a turn for the better so we are hopeful that he is truly becoming a grown-up. Smeagol hopes so too since she is an old lady of six and would rather have a warm body to sleep next to rather than a giant annoyance who always wants to play tug-of-war. Waffles is a darling dog and we couldn't be happier that we got him, he was meant to be in our family.
I have so many other things that I would like to say, both good stuff and bad stuff but I'll leave it at this for now. This blog is so important to me but I never expected to be this busy when I started the darn thing. Hopefully one day I'll get better at updating again and that it won't always only be just updates without real content.
Now, go out and finish your stinkin' holiday shopping, people.
Other than that most things seem to be okay in this place (except for the unleashed pitbull that roams around the neighborhood and this morning nosed through all our garbage so I had to go out and rebag all the nasty leftovers and crap. SO MAD, I was) I'm probably 75% unpacked, if I had to guess.
On another note, my little Waffles AKA the biggest Boston Terrier in the Whole Wide World, is turning two years old today. In dog years he is now a full grown man although he still acts and looks very, very puppy like. Just over the past few weeks though his destructive habits have taken a turn for the better so we are hopeful that he is truly becoming a grown-up. Smeagol hopes so too since she is an old lady of six and would rather have a warm body to sleep next to rather than a giant annoyance who always wants to play tug-of-war. Waffles is a darling dog and we couldn't be happier that we got him, he was meant to be in our family.
I have so many other things that I would like to say, both good stuff and bad stuff but I'll leave it at this for now. This blog is so important to me but I never expected to be this busy when I started the darn thing. Hopefully one day I'll get better at updating again and that it won't always only be just updates without real content.
Now, go out and finish your stinkin' holiday shopping, people.
24 November 2008
Rapidly Going Crazy
I...seriously...explain to me how I'm going to get it all done? K? So, we're moving in 6 days and we have perhaps 10% of the house packed up. We're both working a lot and Paul is transitioning to a new shift this week and next so he's going to be more tired and busy than usual. Plus I have a different work schedule this week because of Thanksgiving and have a work meeting tomorrow an hour and a half after my shift ends so as to maximize my inability to get home and do work. I can't believe what a huge freaking deal it is to move. I'm extremely used to the packing and the address changing and stuff (although packing a 3 story house is a whole new level of horrible) but down here it costs SO MUCH MONEY to transfer utilities and its a huge pain in the butt too. I went downtown to transfer our power/water/sewer/garbage/recycling today. I was in the guy's office for more than 20 minutes answering questions (name and phone number of in-laws? Okay.) and then had to pay him a bunch of money. Natural gas has to be transferred in person as well and Comcast, don't even get me started. I am hoping more than almost anything that this will be the last time we move until we buy a house. Please, God.
Of course we're less than four weeks til Christmas vacation as well which I'm sosososo excited for but again so terribly much work. Plus I'm frantically Christmas shopping since things have to be shipped far and wide and still arrive in time for Christmas.
At night when I finally lie down I sink into the bed and ponder how awesome it will be to not work on my to-do list for a whole week over Christmas. How terrific it will be to not have to go out into the cold or rain every four hours to take the dogs out. How fantastic it will be to be able to leave the house and not have to spend 15 minutes first moving everything in the whole house that Waffles could conceivably get into and then how tremendous it will be to come back later without having to nervously search the house for a potty accident or a newly ruined piece of furniture. One of my big dreams these days is for a nightstand (I dream big, people). My nightstand is just a cheapo end table which is all right and everything but first its ugly and second, and this is the biggy, it has no drawer or cupboard. I like to keep a little basket on my nightstand with all my lotions and potions and pills and things that I use before bed, plus I have a stack of books, Bibles etc. Every time I leave the house though I have to move every one of these things across the room onto the dresser and push them all the way to the back so that Waffles won't destroy them and it is such a royal pain in the butt I can't even tell you.
So these days I dream of icy Winnipeg and functional, attractive nightstands and Ketchup Crispers; its not too much to ask is it people?
Of course we're less than four weeks til Christmas vacation as well which I'm sosososo excited for but again so terribly much work. Plus I'm frantically Christmas shopping since things have to be shipped far and wide and still arrive in time for Christmas.
At night when I finally lie down I sink into the bed and ponder how awesome it will be to not work on my to-do list for a whole week over Christmas. How terrific it will be to not have to go out into the cold or rain every four hours to take the dogs out. How fantastic it will be to be able to leave the house and not have to spend 15 minutes first moving everything in the whole house that Waffles could conceivably get into and then how tremendous it will be to come back later without having to nervously search the house for a potty accident or a newly ruined piece of furniture. One of my big dreams these days is for a nightstand (I dream big, people). My nightstand is just a cheapo end table which is all right and everything but first its ugly and second, and this is the biggy, it has no drawer or cupboard. I like to keep a little basket on my nightstand with all my lotions and potions and pills and things that I use before bed, plus I have a stack of books, Bibles etc. Every time I leave the house though I have to move every one of these things across the room onto the dresser and push them all the way to the back so that Waffles won't destroy them and it is such a royal pain in the butt I can't even tell you.
So these days I dream of icy Winnipeg and functional, attractive nightstands and Ketchup Crispers; its not too much to ask is it people?
18 November 2008
Also, "It's Raining Again"
I'm a very old lady and as such I think most new music is crap so let me just tell you that I am currently OBSESSED again with Supertramp and you should really go and listen to some of their music to remind yourself how STUPENDOUS they are! I woke up two nights ago with "Fool's Overture" in my head (Canadians, part of that would be the theme song to W5) and today I finally got a chance to hear it again and as I was scrolling through Supertramp's playlist online I kept going 'I love that one too!' Paul didn't think that he was overly familiar with their music but when I started listing songs he realized that he really likes them too.
Anyway, all I wanted to say was that I'm very, very ancient and that you should go listen to Supertramp, particularly 'Fool's Overture' (you can find it on www.goear.com), it will give you chills, I promise. Well, if you're old too.
Anyway, all I wanted to say was that I'm very, very ancient and that you should go listen to Supertramp, particularly 'Fool's Overture' (you can find it on www.goear.com), it will give you chills, I promise. Well, if you're old too.
15 November 2008
Blather
I'm at work and I'm blogging. Seriously, Saturdays here are SO boring. The business has never been open on Saturdays and my boss wants me to try opening on Saturdays for a few months to see if our customers have a need for that. Sadly, they do not, which means lots of busy work and, frankly, some blogging and crossword puzzle doing. At least by now I know pretty much what I'm doing so its not too stressful, although I do get stressed when I have to go to the bathroom cause that means I have to lock up and put a sign on the door saying I'll be back in five minutes but A) I can't go when I know I have a time limit and B) invariably my only customer of the day will start knocking on the door during the 5 minutes out of the entire day that I'm not at my desk.
Its not a bad job though, reasonable hours (although diametrically opposite from Paul's so we see very little of each other), reasonable pay and a reasonable co-worker. I miss my babies at the preschool a whole lot though.
Our new house is going to be pretty good I think. We had been smitten with a rental house on the other side of town but the woman who owned it never returned our calls or emails after she told us she would run our credit so eventually we gave up and I emailed her telling her we had found something else. THEN she emailed me back saying 'oh, shoot, sorry, I guess I should have called you to tell you that you were approved'. NO SHIT, Sherlock! Really, what is wrong with people?! In the meantime we found another townhouse 3 buildings down from our current townhouse. Its very much the same, almost exactly, except for that there is no basement (which we really didn't use anyway). Its also an end unit so we only have one 'touching' neighbor and its $75 cheaper per month than what we pay now so we're hopeful that it will be a good move for us.
I'm SHOCKED by how much it costs to transfer our utilities though. Normally, and I've done this a lot, its like a $25 transfer fee on your next bill or something, but Comcast (HATEHATEHATE) is charging us just under $100 and the utility company almost as much! On the plus side the new place has no natural gas so we can cancel that and get our stinkin' $200 deposit back ( in four weeks ).
Basically, we had been doing a bit better financially since my job is stable and steady now and I don't have to spend all the gas money that I did getting to the preschool (plus gas is down from an all time high of $4.99 per gallon to $1.99 per gallon. I don't get it but I sure like it). Plus our expenses should go down in the new place; lower rent, smaller heat and air bills due to less square footage. However right now is an awfully scary time financially - Christmas is around the corner, meaning gifts, a trip, boarding the dogs and all the other things that cost bucks around the holidays. Also moving is always a huge expense even when you plan ahead and try to do things right. Oh, and Paul's stupid health benefits - they are raising the weekly deduction on his paycheck, raising the co-pays and reducing the benefits. *sigh* There are a bunch of other unexpected expenses these days too that are making Paul and I tense and fight-y, but in general we should be better come January 1st - assuming we both still have jobs. I cannot believe how many people I know have lost their jobs in the past 3 months or so, its really frightening.
On another note, I'm so very happy that Barack Obama is going to be our next president and so frightened of what could happen because you would not BELIEVE the kind of things that my Southern neighbors here are saying. In the two days following the election Paul and I heard, honest to God, the following comments:
'he's a Muslim and he's going to force us all to become Muslim'
'he's going to sell America'
'he's going to make all the white people into slaves'
'he's the anti-Christ'
And these people were absolutely and totally serious. Very scary. I did learn something from all of this though. I found myself telling people that whether they like President Elect Obama or not they still have to give him respect. Oops, that's easy for me to say because I have such high hopes for Obama...but I have been guilty of NOT doing that for the current administration so I'm going to try to work on that.
And, lastly, I'm so, so sad that California has banned same-sex marriage and even sadder that Arkansas has enacted something that will make it impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children. So, I wonder what voters have against gay people? If you think being gay is wrong, or immoral that's fine, but why is it your business if homosexuals want to get married or adopt? I'm really curious here because it seems to me that the only reason people are opposed to homosexuality is based on their religious views and we have (cough) a separation of church and state here in America so what basis is there for taking away their rights? I'm really curious if any of you can explain this to me or have opinions on this because perhaps I'm not seeing all sides of the story.
Whew, I guess I should get some work done!
Its not a bad job though, reasonable hours (although diametrically opposite from Paul's so we see very little of each other), reasonable pay and a reasonable co-worker. I miss my babies at the preschool a whole lot though.
Our new house is going to be pretty good I think. We had been smitten with a rental house on the other side of town but the woman who owned it never returned our calls or emails after she told us she would run our credit so eventually we gave up and I emailed her telling her we had found something else. THEN she emailed me back saying 'oh, shoot, sorry, I guess I should have called you to tell you that you were approved'. NO SHIT, Sherlock! Really, what is wrong with people?! In the meantime we found another townhouse 3 buildings down from our current townhouse. Its very much the same, almost exactly, except for that there is no basement (which we really didn't use anyway). Its also an end unit so we only have one 'touching' neighbor and its $75 cheaper per month than what we pay now so we're hopeful that it will be a good move for us.
I'm SHOCKED by how much it costs to transfer our utilities though. Normally, and I've done this a lot, its like a $25 transfer fee on your next bill or something, but Comcast (HATEHATEHATE) is charging us just under $100 and the utility company almost as much! On the plus side the new place has no natural gas so we can cancel that and get our stinkin' $200 deposit back ( in four weeks ).
Basically, we had been doing a bit better financially since my job is stable and steady now and I don't have to spend all the gas money that I did getting to the preschool (plus gas is down from an all time high of $4.99 per gallon to $1.99 per gallon. I don't get it but I sure like it). Plus our expenses should go down in the new place; lower rent, smaller heat and air bills due to less square footage. However right now is an awfully scary time financially - Christmas is around the corner, meaning gifts, a trip, boarding the dogs and all the other things that cost bucks around the holidays. Also moving is always a huge expense even when you plan ahead and try to do things right. Oh, and Paul's stupid health benefits - they are raising the weekly deduction on his paycheck, raising the co-pays and reducing the benefits. *sigh* There are a bunch of other unexpected expenses these days too that are making Paul and I tense and fight-y, but in general we should be better come January 1st - assuming we both still have jobs. I cannot believe how many people I know have lost their jobs in the past 3 months or so, its really frightening.
On another note, I'm so very happy that Barack Obama is going to be our next president and so frightened of what could happen because you would not BELIEVE the kind of things that my Southern neighbors here are saying. In the two days following the election Paul and I heard, honest to God, the following comments:
'he's a Muslim and he's going to force us all to become Muslim'
'he's going to sell America'
'he's going to make all the white people into slaves'
'he's the anti-Christ'
And these people were absolutely and totally serious. Very scary. I did learn something from all of this though. I found myself telling people that whether they like President Elect Obama or not they still have to give him respect. Oops, that's easy for me to say because I have such high hopes for Obama...but I have been guilty of NOT doing that for the current administration so I'm going to try to work on that.
And, lastly, I'm so, so sad that California has banned same-sex marriage and even sadder that Arkansas has enacted something that will make it impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children. So, I wonder what voters have against gay people? If you think being gay is wrong, or immoral that's fine, but why is it your business if homosexuals want to get married or adopt? I'm really curious here because it seems to me that the only reason people are opposed to homosexuality is based on their religious views and we have (cough) a separation of church and state here in America so what basis is there for taking away their rights? I'm really curious if any of you can explain this to me or have opinions on this because perhaps I'm not seeing all sides of the story.
Whew, I guess I should get some work done!
12 November 2008
Whoooooosh
So Busy. Moving in 19 days. Haven't started packing. Canada in 39 days. So much to do in preparation. Work so crazy. Having to go in on days off.
I so want to update more but I'm in over my head right now.
Let me just say though that Paul was at Wal-Mart today and the Canadian Geese were waddlng around, taking a break in Tennessee on their way to Florida for the winter. I have two points to make about this: The first is that I love geese and the sound they make and the V's they form as they fly. They make me very nostalgic for...something undefinable. The second point is that Paul said they were almost all walking around the parking lot in pairs.
Also, today I heard a news story about a talking parrot who alerted the babysitter that the child of the house was choking. I don't care what my mother says, animals have souls and that's all there is to it.
I so want to update more but I'm in over my head right now.
Let me just say though that Paul was at Wal-Mart today and the Canadian Geese were waddlng around, taking a break in Tennessee on their way to Florida for the winter. I have two points to make about this: The first is that I love geese and the sound they make and the V's they form as they fly. They make me very nostalgic for...something undefinable. The second point is that Paul said they were almost all walking around the parking lot in pairs.
Also, today I heard a news story about a talking parrot who alerted the babysitter that the child of the house was choking. I don't care what my mother says, animals have souls and that's all there is to it.
26 October 2008
How Girls Are Different Than Boys
Instead of a guest book at our wedding, since it was so small, we had a large photo mat that people could sign and then when we got our wedding photos we could stick a photo in there and hang the whole thing up in a pretty frame. I've had the whole thing on our wall since a few days after we got back from our honeymoon but Paul just sort of re-noticed it a few minutes ago.
Him - Oh yeah! I forgot about this frame, its neat.
Me - Me too, and its a nice picture although I was a lot heavier then.
Him - Yeah, but your tits looked superb that day.
Him - Oh yeah! I forgot about this frame, its neat.
Me - Me too, and its a nice picture although I was a lot heavier then.
Him - Yeah, but your tits looked superb that day.
17 October 2008
A Little Politics
So, Canada had an election last week. Who knew?! Okay, well, I did, but not because of the news. Here in the Southern US they are, as far as I can tell, unaware that Canada exists. Well, they know it exists but sort of as a wee little country far, far away with funny money. Jon Stewart (am I the only one who gets all of their news from the Daily Show?) talked about the Canadian election the other day and he pointed out that the Conservative Party won again but seeing as how we Canadians are sooo liberal compared to the Americans that voting for the Conservatives in Canada is akin to voting for "Gay Nader Fans for Peace" here in the US. Awesome.
The election down here is seriously tearing people apart and I sort of understand that because I'm finding it hard to separate people's political leanings from their personality. When an acquaintance of mine found out that I was an Obama fan she literally gasped and whispered 'but he's a Muslim!' I really like this this woman but I've found that since she said this my feelings for her are somewhat diminished. I don't like that I can't separate my feelings about her and about her politics, but I am having trouble.
I've noticed that so many of the feelings people have, either good or bad about either party, are based on lies or propaganda or rumor and that's not right. I heard something the other day that I thought was really spot-on; 'vote your hopes, not your fears'. I guess that's my wish for every voter in this country and in Canada and everywhere else too; vote for what you envision your country can be and for the leader who can make that happen.
The election down here is seriously tearing people apart and I sort of understand that because I'm finding it hard to separate people's political leanings from their personality. When an acquaintance of mine found out that I was an Obama fan she literally gasped and whispered 'but he's a Muslim!' I really like this this woman but I've found that since she said this my feelings for her are somewhat diminished. I don't like that I can't separate my feelings about her and about her politics, but I am having trouble.
I've noticed that so many of the feelings people have, either good or bad about either party, are based on lies or propaganda or rumor and that's not right. I heard something the other day that I thought was really spot-on; 'vote your hopes, not your fears'. I guess that's my wish for every voter in this country and in Canada and everywhere else too; vote for what you envision your country can be and for the leader who can make that happen.
10 October 2008
Homeward Bound
Whee! I got through my second week at work and next week I go to my regular schedule (as opposed to my training schedule) which means that I don't have to get up so early. Although it also means that I work alone on Saturday which should be interesting since I don't -technically- know what I'm doing yet, really.
We put in an application on an adorable rental house this week which we're hopeful about. Even if we don't get accepted for some reason we have a line on another place or two to look at.
And, we booked our tickets yesterday for CANADA! EEEEEE! We're coming right over Christmas and we are PSYCHED! I haven't seen my mom and one sister since August of '07, my other sister since our wedding in March of '07 and everyone else since February '07 (I think). That is just wrong. We spent lots of time researching kennels for the babies and found a great one, but I'm still very nervous about leaving them for a week. Waffles especially is so terribly sensitive. Waffles has a very obvious way of showing us when he is distressed which is that he trembles from head to toe. When the neighbors are noisy, which is always, he lies on the floor and shakes, when Paul and I have a 'discussion', he trembles, when I tell him 'no' to trying to kill Smeagol, he shivers. You get the picture. But nonetheless I couldn't be more excited. The time off is confirmed for both of us, the tickets are booked and the kennel (or 'lodge' as they call it...it has a POOL! For DOGS!) is booked. This week I need to focus on making sure the dogs have all their appropriate shots etc. and get a letter from the vet indicating that Smeagol cannot be vaccinated for bordatella since she nearly died last time and had to be rushed to the vet and put on IV etc. Have you all ever heard of more pathetic creatures than my pups? *sigh* I know, I'm more pathetic...
We put in an application on an adorable rental house this week which we're hopeful about. Even if we don't get accepted for some reason we have a line on another place or two to look at.
And, we booked our tickets yesterday for CANADA! EEEEEE! We're coming right over Christmas and we are PSYCHED! I haven't seen my mom and one sister since August of '07, my other sister since our wedding in March of '07 and everyone else since February '07 (I think). That is just wrong. We spent lots of time researching kennels for the babies and found a great one, but I'm still very nervous about leaving them for a week. Waffles especially is so terribly sensitive. Waffles has a very obvious way of showing us when he is distressed which is that he trembles from head to toe. When the neighbors are noisy, which is always, he lies on the floor and shakes, when Paul and I have a 'discussion', he trembles, when I tell him 'no' to trying to kill Smeagol, he shivers. You get the picture. But nonetheless I couldn't be more excited. The time off is confirmed for both of us, the tickets are booked and the kennel (or 'lodge' as they call it...it has a POOL! For DOGS!) is booked. This week I need to focus on making sure the dogs have all their appropriate shots etc. and get a letter from the vet indicating that Smeagol cannot be vaccinated for bordatella since she nearly died last time and had to be rushed to the vet and put on IV etc. Have you all ever heard of more pathetic creatures than my pups? *sigh* I know, I'm more pathetic...
06 October 2008
Hi!
Dude, I know. I haven't been posting. Here's what we've been up to:
A few weeks ago Paul's parents were here along with Paul's godmother and his godchild Paulie. We had great time going to flea markets, driving up to North Carolina to gamble at the Cherokee casino (doubled our allotted money, thank you!) and touring a cave with an underground lake (really neat, you float around in a boat and can trail your hands in the water and watch the shadowy fish make ripples around them). We also had tons of good meals and I got to watch Paul with Paulie which is adorable, albeit a little bittersweet for me.
I've been working at the preschool for the past 2 1/2 months and I really, REALLY enjoyed working with 'my babies'. Getting to see children crawl for the first time or take their first steps or what have you on a regular basis is major job satisfaction. But, driving just under an hour each way on the freeway every day so that my 'part-time' job became 9 1/2 hours out of the house every day was just too much. So, I enjoyed my job but continued to search for something better. Two weeks ago I got a job as an office manager for an apartment complex, its just a few minutes away and the pay is almost $2 more per hour. I miss my babies a lot but I can't argue with either the hours or the pay for this new job. (By the way, I just realized that because Paul and I both get paid every week and there are five or our pay days this month and because I didn't take a break between jobs and am still owed a paycheck from the preschool we will be getting ELEVEN paychecks this month. I just let out a little hysterical giggle when I realized that. Of course, there is such a huge shortfall every month between what we need and what we get that we still probably won't have enough money, but GEEZ, eleven paychecks in a month is pretty rockin'.)
I also went through our budget with a fine tooth comb again and realized that there are only three things that we can change. One is that we need to make more money which is a large part of why I changed jobs (isn't it sad that I get paid so much more for typing up invoices and spreadsheets than for caring for people's CHILDREN). Paul accepts as much overtime as is offered to him but can't do much more to earn more money since he is working at a job where he needs to bide his time in order to get promotions and raises. His job has the potential to be well-paying, he just has to hang on until time passes and other people leave. The next thing that our budget showed me was that the only non-necessity bills that we have every month are internet/cable and World of Warcraft. Now, basically these things are pretty much our entire entertainment budget and we're okay with that. I did cut back to basic cable to save $15/month, but other than that its pretty much non-negotiable. Lastly, we need to move to a cheaper place. This place is nice, but its bigger than we need, we have horrible neighbors, we can't get anything fixed and its just too expensive. So, we've been spending a lot of time checking out apartments and houses etc. to rent. This weekend we found one that we're hopeful about. Its a WEE tiny house with a big backyard and deck and general cuteness...and its $105 cheaper per month than this place plus so much smaller that our heating and air conditioning costs will surely be lower.
So, looking for a place to live, starting to clean and box things up, cutting back our already bare-bones spending, leaving a job and starting a new one, visiting relatives and the usual cooking and cleaning (bear in mind that cooking for the four of us is exhausting and time consuming because we all need special, homemade food that is acceptable for our various food related issues) etc. has just been taking up every minute of my time. Plus, I'm going through a period of insomnia again so when I am relaxing I'm sort of spaced out and staring vacantly at the ceiling.
I'm really going to try to update here more often, hopefully regularly again, and by the new year things should be back to normal again.
Whew! What's new with you?
A few weeks ago Paul's parents were here along with Paul's godmother and his godchild Paulie. We had great time going to flea markets, driving up to North Carolina to gamble at the Cherokee casino (doubled our allotted money, thank you!) and touring a cave with an underground lake (really neat, you float around in a boat and can trail your hands in the water and watch the shadowy fish make ripples around them). We also had tons of good meals and I got to watch Paul with Paulie which is adorable, albeit a little bittersweet for me.
I've been working at the preschool for the past 2 1/2 months and I really, REALLY enjoyed working with 'my babies'. Getting to see children crawl for the first time or take their first steps or what have you on a regular basis is major job satisfaction. But, driving just under an hour each way on the freeway every day so that my 'part-time' job became 9 1/2 hours out of the house every day was just too much. So, I enjoyed my job but continued to search for something better. Two weeks ago I got a job as an office manager for an apartment complex, its just a few minutes away and the pay is almost $2 more per hour. I miss my babies a lot but I can't argue with either the hours or the pay for this new job. (By the way, I just realized that because Paul and I both get paid every week and there are five or our pay days this month and because I didn't take a break between jobs and am still owed a paycheck from the preschool we will be getting ELEVEN paychecks this month. I just let out a little hysterical giggle when I realized that. Of course, there is such a huge shortfall every month between what we need and what we get that we still probably won't have enough money, but GEEZ, eleven paychecks in a month is pretty rockin'.)
I also went through our budget with a fine tooth comb again and realized that there are only three things that we can change. One is that we need to make more money which is a large part of why I changed jobs (isn't it sad that I get paid so much more for typing up invoices and spreadsheets than for caring for people's CHILDREN). Paul accepts as much overtime as is offered to him but can't do much more to earn more money since he is working at a job where he needs to bide his time in order to get promotions and raises. His job has the potential to be well-paying, he just has to hang on until time passes and other people leave. The next thing that our budget showed me was that the only non-necessity bills that we have every month are internet/cable and World of Warcraft. Now, basically these things are pretty much our entire entertainment budget and we're okay with that. I did cut back to basic cable to save $15/month, but other than that its pretty much non-negotiable. Lastly, we need to move to a cheaper place. This place is nice, but its bigger than we need, we have horrible neighbors, we can't get anything fixed and its just too expensive. So, we've been spending a lot of time checking out apartments and houses etc. to rent. This weekend we found one that we're hopeful about. Its a WEE tiny house with a big backyard and deck and general cuteness...and its $105 cheaper per month than this place plus so much smaller that our heating and air conditioning costs will surely be lower.
So, looking for a place to live, starting to clean and box things up, cutting back our already bare-bones spending, leaving a job and starting a new one, visiting relatives and the usual cooking and cleaning (bear in mind that cooking for the four of us is exhausting and time consuming because we all need special, homemade food that is acceptable for our various food related issues) etc. has just been taking up every minute of my time. Plus, I'm going through a period of insomnia again so when I am relaxing I'm sort of spaced out and staring vacantly at the ceiling.
I'm really going to try to update here more often, hopefully regularly again, and by the new year things should be back to normal again.
Whew! What's new with you?
07 September 2008
No, it is not a word and you should stop using it now.
Paul is terrific. We have been having trouble with the devil known as the cable company...you know which one...for more than a month now and we had been trying to get then to come out. The first time they were scheduled to come out and try to figure out the problem they called beforehand and asked Paul to describe the problem (cause we hadn't described it TWENTY TIMES to FORTY different employees all of whom were BAFFLED and then LIED to us about what was wrong, but I digress). When Paul did describe the problem the tech said that it was almost certainly the box and if he had to come out to just switch the box he would have to charge us $30+. So we cancelled at at his suggestion drove to their office and switched out the box. We then repeated the procedure a week later with the modem. We still weren't working right so we scheduled another appointment. They didn't show up and somehow managed to call and leave a message saying 'you aren't home so we aren't coming' even though we had A) called them to make sure they were coming, B) were assured that they would call three times before giving up and C) called them to tell they we were getting spotty phone service but were home and waiting frantically for them to show up.
ANYWAY, Paul called them to tell them that this was utterly unacceptable and that they should get their asses here now. NOW. He went from the first CSR to the next and then asked to speak with the supervisor. The CSR, OF COURSE, tried to refuse to let him speak to the supervisor. He repeated his request over and over and then came the moment; the CSR said something (I couldn't hear his side of the conversation obviously) and Paul said 'irregardless is not a word and let me speak with your supervisor now!' It was awesome and as my sister said when I told her the story 'wow, that could make you fall in love with a guy'. Too true.
ANYWAY, Paul called them to tell them that this was utterly unacceptable and that they should get their asses here now. NOW. He went from the first CSR to the next and then asked to speak with the supervisor. The CSR, OF COURSE, tried to refuse to let him speak to the supervisor. He repeated his request over and over and then came the moment; the CSR said something (I couldn't hear his side of the conversation obviously) and Paul said 'irregardless is not a word and let me speak with your supervisor now!' It was awesome and as my sister said when I told her the story 'wow, that could make you fall in love with a guy'. Too true.
05 September 2008
Change Change Change
I very rarely talk about politics here for three reasons:
1) I am only a permanent resident here in the US and I do not wish to say things that will somehow (remember the severe paranoia) land me on the radar of someone whose radar I do not want to be on.
2) No politicians ever seem to have anything new to say so why bother caring.
3) I don't care. Not at all.
Except now suddenly I do. It is my first election here in the US and, of course, I can't vote in it since I'm not a citizen, but it still affects me greatly. Do I want four more years of this misery; war, recession, global climate change, or do I want change? Yes, change for change's sake. Change change change. I want change and for the first time in my life I believe that it will happen, that is if Obama/Biden win. I'm nearly vibrating with tension waiting for the next two months to go by to see if America will get a chance to rebuild itself or whether we will fall further into chaos.
However, if McCain/Palin win Paul says we can start looking to move back to Canada. So I win either way.
1) I am only a permanent resident here in the US and I do not wish to say things that will somehow (remember the severe paranoia) land me on the radar of someone whose radar I do not want to be on.
2) No politicians ever seem to have anything new to say so why bother caring.
3) I don't care. Not at all.
Except now suddenly I do. It is my first election here in the US and, of course, I can't vote in it since I'm not a citizen, but it still affects me greatly. Do I want four more years of this misery; war, recession, global climate change, or do I want change? Yes, change for change's sake. Change change change. I want change and for the first time in my life I believe that it will happen, that is if Obama/Biden win. I'm nearly vibrating with tension waiting for the next two months to go by to see if America will get a chance to rebuild itself or whether we will fall further into chaos.
However, if McCain/Palin win Paul says we can start looking to move back to Canada. So I win either way.
04 September 2008
Of course dogs can pick out and sign cards
I'm sure some of you (and here I'm thinking of you, Bernice) will think this is super stupid but I was so touched by the birthday card Paul gave me 'from' the dogs. He was great this birthday and with this kind of card he reminds me of why I love him AND like him:
Front (Note: we call Waffles "Webby" or "Wiffy" most of the time)
Inside
The colors are not sharp for some reason, I'm terrible at scanning. But, is that not the sweetest thing ever?
Front (Note: we call Waffles "Webby" or "Wiffy" most of the time)
Inside
The colors are not sharp for some reason, I'm terrible at scanning. But, is that not the sweetest thing ever?
24 August 2008
My days are filled with poo so you can damn well read about it
Sooo tired, but I have to update here. I'm not abandoning this blog, I swear, but we've been so busy lately plus my new job plus being sick, its just all been too much. But for today again, just some catch up.
So,
1) I'm getting better. I'm finished my second batch of antibiotics yesterday and so far they seem to be working as opposed to the first batch which could not help my powerfully weak immune system. I'm still coughing and phlegmy (AKA SO Sexy) and weak, but I feel like I'm on the mend. My bosses have been extremely understanding of my absences so early in this job. They say that this is what happens to everyone their first few months of working in a large group of small children, so hopefully after a few more months I'll have a bit more immunity to everything.
2) My job is going okay. Its a long commute every day and the day is long for me but the kids are awesome and I totally miss them on days when I'm not there. I spend most of my time in the infant rooms and I like them best. The teacher to my 'assistant teacher' the other day told me that I was a natural around the babies and that she had missed me while I was sick. Whee! I also LOVE the fact that its a Christian school. We sing Christian-y songs a lot and listen to them too. We put up Bible verses around the room and tell the babies stories from the Bible as well. I love love love that as it is very natural for me. As well, I was a bit worried that in this day and age it was going to be not appropriate to hug and snuggle the babies and I didn't know how I would manage that. But everyone does it and its a great pick-me-up when a one year old toddles up to you and wraps himself around you and just holds you for a minute before going back to play. Its neat too seeing babies take first steps and first words. No matter how many times I see a baby take his or her first steps it never gets old.
I spend some time in the toddler rooms too which is not my favorite but its usually just covering breaks. I love toddlers but they're just a bit too high energy for my sickly self. The toddler room entertains me though because of the things they say and I find myself saying. Here's a conversation I had with Riley the other day:
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - Do you really?
Riley - *laughing hysterically* NO! I'm just TEASING!
Me - Uh-huh.
2 minutes later
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - Do you really?
Riley - *nearly on the floor laughing* NO!
2 minutes later
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - No you don't.
Riley - *instantly bawling* I DOOOOOOOO!
Me - Okay let's go change you.
Riley - Okay, but I want you to do it and no one else and I want to hold the new diaper while you do it and that's how I want it.
Me - Fine.
*changing*
Riley - *suddenly bawling again*
Me - What's wrong, hon?
Riley - I have an ITCH!
Me - Where is your itch?
Riley - Where I POOOOOOOOED!!!
Me - Okay, well that will go away in a little bit, tell me a story about your day today and by the time you're done it will be gone.
Riley - Why does it itch where I poo? Does it itch where you poo too?
Me - Uhh. Well, sometimes when we poo we get itchy but if we clean ourselves very well like I'm cleaning your bum right now then the itch goes away.
Riley - So your poo place itches too?
Me - Um...so you have to clean up your poo really well.
This just went on and on. Ah, 3 year olds.
3) My birfday is today and Paul and I are going to be going out for Indian food and maybe to a movie of my choice (although we saw Hancock a few weeks ago and it would be hard to top, it was great). I told Paul that I didn't need or want any gifts but he got me great ones anyway and harrassed me to open them until I did, a day early. I've told him many times that to me a big part of a gift or card, even a $5 item,is that its purchased in advance and wrapped with care and arrives on time etc. So he went, on his own, and bought me a card and Eeyore wrapping paper and wrapped up my stuff. It meant SO much to me, almost as much as the gifts! He got me some drugstore type items that I love; candy and pens and things. Plus a PedEgg...have you seen those commercials? Ew, eh? The PedEgg is like a foot file deal to help make your feet sandal ready smooth and its pretty neat, although my feet are a bit raw now. Then the best gift...Shortly after our wedding my engagement ring broke. At first we thought it was just a prong around the stone, but it turned out to need a fairly complicated weld and we could never afford to get someone to weld platinum properly and reset the stone. So, I went without my engagement ring which really bothered me. But Paul snuck the ring and stone out of my jewelry box and had it fixed for me. He had them put it in a beautiful new box and put a slip of paper into the box that said 'will you marry me?'
LOVE IT! Great gift. I was thrilled.
4) I have pages and pages of unanswered emails and un-responded to comments and I'm gonna just give myself a pass on that. I don't have the emotional energy to respond so I'm just gonna cross that off my list. I truly hope that that is not rude. Once again, I'm just going to say that most of you just rock. I got so many supportive and wonderful comments after we lost our baby and in general regarding all of our other problems. I'm so utterly grateful, there are no words to describe. Nancy F., Kimberly L. and so many others who I'm sure I should name by name, you guys have moved me beyond words and you are in my prayers every day. Thank you all for more support than I could have imagined and I hope you'll forgive me if I don't respond to you right now...its all just too much.
***
Oh, and an edit. FRICKING COMCAST!!! Our internet and cable and thus also phone have been working only sporadically for about a month now and have worked hardly at all this weekend. So, you're trying to call us? Good luck. Also, we finally changed our phone number to a Tennessee number last week so if you're somebody who calls us please email me for our new number or call Paul on his cell if you have that. Thanks!
So,
1) I'm getting better. I'm finished my second batch of antibiotics yesterday and so far they seem to be working as opposed to the first batch which could not help my powerfully weak immune system. I'm still coughing and phlegmy (AKA SO Sexy) and weak, but I feel like I'm on the mend. My bosses have been extremely understanding of my absences so early in this job. They say that this is what happens to everyone their first few months of working in a large group of small children, so hopefully after a few more months I'll have a bit more immunity to everything.
2) My job is going okay. Its a long commute every day and the day is long for me but the kids are awesome and I totally miss them on days when I'm not there. I spend most of my time in the infant rooms and I like them best. The teacher to my 'assistant teacher' the other day told me that I was a natural around the babies and that she had missed me while I was sick. Whee! I also LOVE the fact that its a Christian school. We sing Christian-y songs a lot and listen to them too. We put up Bible verses around the room and tell the babies stories from the Bible as well. I love love love that as it is very natural for me. As well, I was a bit worried that in this day and age it was going to be not appropriate to hug and snuggle the babies and I didn't know how I would manage that. But everyone does it and its a great pick-me-up when a one year old toddles up to you and wraps himself around you and just holds you for a minute before going back to play. Its neat too seeing babies take first steps and first words. No matter how many times I see a baby take his or her first steps it never gets old.
I spend some time in the toddler rooms too which is not my favorite but its usually just covering breaks. I love toddlers but they're just a bit too high energy for my sickly self. The toddler room entertains me though because of the things they say and I find myself saying. Here's a conversation I had with Riley the other day:
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - Do you really?
Riley - *laughing hysterically* NO! I'm just TEASING!
Me - Uh-huh.
2 minutes later
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - Do you really?
Riley - *nearly on the floor laughing* NO!
2 minutes later
Riley - Miss Jennifer, I have a poopie.
Me - No you don't.
Riley - *instantly bawling* I DOOOOOOOO!
Me - Okay let's go change you.
Riley - Okay, but I want you to do it and no one else and I want to hold the new diaper while you do it and that's how I want it.
Me - Fine.
*changing*
Riley - *suddenly bawling again*
Me - What's wrong, hon?
Riley - I have an ITCH!
Me - Where is your itch?
Riley - Where I POOOOOOOOED!!!
Me - Okay, well that will go away in a little bit, tell me a story about your day today and by the time you're done it will be gone.
Riley - Why does it itch where I poo? Does it itch where you poo too?
Me - Uhh. Well, sometimes when we poo we get itchy but if we clean ourselves very well like I'm cleaning your bum right now then the itch goes away.
Riley - So your poo place itches too?
Me - Um...so you have to clean up your poo really well.
This just went on and on. Ah, 3 year olds.
3) My birfday is today and Paul and I are going to be going out for Indian food and maybe to a movie of my choice (although we saw Hancock a few weeks ago and it would be hard to top, it was great). I told Paul that I didn't need or want any gifts but he got me great ones anyway and harrassed me to open them until I did, a day early. I've told him many times that to me a big part of a gift or card, even a $5 item,is that its purchased in advance and wrapped with care and arrives on time etc. So he went, on his own, and bought me a card and Eeyore wrapping paper and wrapped up my stuff. It meant SO much to me, almost as much as the gifts! He got me some drugstore type items that I love; candy and pens and things. Plus a PedEgg...have you seen those commercials? Ew, eh? The PedEgg is like a foot file deal to help make your feet sandal ready smooth and its pretty neat, although my feet are a bit raw now. Then the best gift...Shortly after our wedding my engagement ring broke. At first we thought it was just a prong around the stone, but it turned out to need a fairly complicated weld and we could never afford to get someone to weld platinum properly and reset the stone. So, I went without my engagement ring which really bothered me. But Paul snuck the ring and stone out of my jewelry box and had it fixed for me. He had them put it in a beautiful new box and put a slip of paper into the box that said 'will you marry me?'
LOVE IT! Great gift. I was thrilled.
4) I have pages and pages of unanswered emails and un-responded to comments and I'm gonna just give myself a pass on that. I don't have the emotional energy to respond so I'm just gonna cross that off my list. I truly hope that that is not rude. Once again, I'm just going to say that most of you just rock. I got so many supportive and wonderful comments after we lost our baby and in general regarding all of our other problems. I'm so utterly grateful, there are no words to describe. Nancy F., Kimberly L. and so many others who I'm sure I should name by name, you guys have moved me beyond words and you are in my prayers every day. Thank you all for more support than I could have imagined and I hope you'll forgive me if I don't respond to you right now...its all just too much.
***
Oh, and an edit. FRICKING COMCAST!!! Our internet and cable and thus also phone have been working only sporadically for about a month now and have worked hardly at all this weekend. So, you're trying to call us? Good luck. Also, we finally changed our phone number to a Tennessee number last week so if you're somebody who calls us please email me for our new number or call Paul on his cell if you have that. Thanks!
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