MLG is ready for Halloween

And it is not because the candy is in the store. She is ready to trick the treaters! She grabbed our singing mummy cat (which sings "Who let the dogs out"), and evily said i am going to turn it on and scare them when they come to the door. Then gave an evil little laugh with her head tilted, and prances off. Oh that girl of mine!

Yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwn

Today is a sleepy sleepy day. Although My Little Girl does not seem to think so. Instead it is "Mom. Mom. MOM!." LOL. Yes, I was ignoring her because I was trying to nap. But as you can see. That is now over with.

Yesterday was a looong day of driving, hair coloring and cutting,and shopping. I called MLG to tell her I was on my home. Instead of being excited,she immediately pointed out that I was late.

"Mom.(not even a hello) You said that you were going to be home about the same time that you pick me up from school. You never pick me up this late."

I found this funny because I know she does not tell time yet. But instead it was dark outside. And my baby was right. I never pick her up from school that late.

But I did stop at the toy store and pick her up a little gift ;)

1 Month

1 month ago today I had my heart attack which put some things in to perspective. I look at a lot of things differently and try even more now to not take those little things for granted.

So happy 1 month birthday to me and my new life!

08, 08, ... 09!

This weekend is one of my longest and closest friend's wedding. aka...cjh. I am so very excited for her and am very honored to be a part of the wedding with my daughter.

So here is to the most fantastic wedding weekend ever! It is going to be great-I just know it!

Watermelons...who knew they were the secret?

So just after posting the previous entry, I googled watermelon juice and found this. Watermelon juice contains an amino acid that is key to weight loss. Really? Where do I find this stuff???

And, I guess I will go ahead and give the shout out to the Aggies in College Station for finding this recent discovery in February. Way to go. Whoop. Oh, wait I am not "allowed" to do "whoop" since I am NOT an Aggie, right cjh??

Eating Heart Healthy

Okay so since the heart attack, (which again, I will write about later) I have had to change my eating habits. They were not all that terrible to begin with, but I admit with crazy hectic schedules in the evening and the inability to just whip something up in the kitchen, I ate fast food quite often during the week at night. And my meal choices were not always the salad. Breakfast (if eaten) and lunch were for the most part pretty good.

After doing a tiny bit of research I found out that the following are the 10 things you should eat to help your heart. And what better way to make sure I retain this info then to post it on here. Supposedly if you consume this stuff, you will decrease your risk of having a heart attack by 80% because it reduces your cholesterol. Although my overall cholesterol was quite fine at 111, (HDL = 70 and LDL = 24) my good cholesterol needs to be raised to at least 45.

Here is what you should eat:

1. Nuts - 1 oz of pistachios, almonds, or walnuts 4+ times a week
2. Fish - 2 servings a week of Omega-3-rich fish. The best kind are Wild Salmon, or Atlantic Mackerel
3. Oats - 2.5 servings a day. Can also do brown rice or barley (yuck)
4. Avocados - no quantity mentioned, but I LOVE these!!!
5. Black Beans - 3 oz serving a day
6. Flax Seed - 20 grams a day sprinkled over yogurt, oatmeal, or salad
7. Green Tea - 5 cups a day; drink it like water
8. Watermelon - 1 slice a day or 1 glass of watermelon juice
9. Spinach - 1 cup fresh a day or 1/2 cup cooked
10. Red Wine - I was told by doc 1 glass a day, but somewhere I read 2 glasses is ideal. But here says the best red wine for your heart is from south-west France or Sardinia because these areas have stuck with the original wine making processes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? But if you don't want to booze it up, nibble on some dark chocolate.

I also found here that drinking a glass of orange juice a day is also beneficial.

So my fridge and cabinets have all of the above, but watermelon (where do you get that juice at?), and I guess my weekly grocery list will start with these instead of the traditional: bread, milk, eggs, ...

Oh the peer pressure...

While on "bed rest" (will post about that later when I can) I succumb to all the peer pressure to become a part of....FACE BOOK. And actually became "friends" with a girl I have not seen since college and only had a few classes with while at Tech. Maybe it isn't so terrible. Just have to figure out all the little things. Like, receiving cranberry vodkas, sunshines, and friend blessings.

But...I will not tweet.

A Taste of Africa

So my Mom sent me this fwd that I thought was pretty cool. The beginning reminds me of student council in high school, and then the singing with the B-boxing is just...awesome!

New Meaning...I know innappropriate, but couldn't you just hear little high school girls giggling about this in front of boys...

A whale’s penis is called a dork. Know any dorks?

4th of July Weekend!

Yippie for Fridays off! My Little Girl and I went down to Corpus Christi to hang with the parental units and watch some fireworks put on by the company my Dad is currently working at. It was an interesting event. Dad had mentioned that there were around 5,000 employees but I did not realize how many people really would attend with their families for hot dogs, chips, drinks, snow cones, glow sticks, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, and fireworks that were the best I have ever seen. It was spectacular!

Saturday morning I left the kiddo with the grandparents to come home and do some tidying up without the "Why are you throwing that away." I did make a little detour and go kayaking for a few hours. It was my first time and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! I want to go again in a few weeks. Too bad I do not own a truck. I would buy my own and go often and invest in a water proof camera. I had a couple bass swimming next to me just like dolphins do out in the bay. Super cool!

Sunday, I caught Wimbeldon and sadly saw Roddick lose. Po' Boy :( . Hopefully he will win the US Open.

What are the odds? - Part II

So as previously mentioned little girl with same name and birthday as My Little Girl was not the only one in the swim class with the same birthday (including year). MLG's little friend Bo from school also has the same birthday. Did not realize this. I knew there was one boy in her class with a birthday the day before, but did not know there was one on her day, too. And come to find out after talking to Bo's mom, there is another one on the same day in their soon to be first grade class.

So including swim class and her school we know two little boys and one little girl on her not-so-her day and one little boy the day before.

What else we all have in common...Hurricane Claudette.

And cjh...when I post pics of swimming, I will make sure to include one or two of the swim coach all the moms were talking about ;)

What are the odds??

Having kids in My Little Girl's class with the same first name is not uncommon. So another one in her swim class did not really shock me.

But one with the exact same birthday to the year also? Rare! Her mother and I even have similar labor stories except it all occurred in the other hospital in town.

Crazy!

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...With a Twist

On the way back from Canyon Lake Sunday My Little Girl wanted to sing a song. The first thing that popped in to my mind for traveling was 99 Bottles of Beer. So I started singing it. And yes, it just came out in the original version.

But it didn't last long. After one verse she changed up the words to:

"99 Cans of Dog Food on the Wall"

So we sang that from Gonzales to Cuero when we no longer had any dog food on the wall sing about. It was oddly fun.

MLG in CC - Weeeeeeeeee...

Took me a while to get back to this, but as promised a little tid bit about My Little Girl's experience on Padre Island and the National Shore. We did not see any baby sea turtles, but MLG did her version of "surfing." She loved, loved, loved it!

And I found these little marine snails entertaining. They scoot slowly around the beach looking for food. Sometimes in straight lines. Some times in squiggles. And then they bury themselves. They have very pretty shells. I almost wanted to take one, but then the little slimy guy would die. Po' Snail :(

MLG in CC

So we live, what, an hour from Corpus Christi? I have been there only 4 times in my life that I can think of at this time. Most people in Hictoria say "WHAT? Why not?" No interest in it I guess. I always find myself traveling in the opposite direction. Well since my Dad is working there now for the next 3 or 4 months, we are taking advantage of his suite. Right now. As I type. My Little Girl and I are chilling in the hotel room for a brief break before heading off to the beach to splash in the water on her new boogie board and maybe a little MLG burying in the sand.

But first this morning we went to the Texas State Aquarium. Although a tiny little place (compared to Moody Gardens in Galveston) it was very nice, relaxing, not crowded, educational, and fun! Good times; good times.

We learned how to train dolphins at the Dolphin training show first.

Then we caught the "You Otter Know This" keeper chat where we saw an enrichment program where the two river otters had to figure out how to get cubes of ice and fish out of a water jug with holes on either side.

Next we saw Grace their rescued Bald Eagle, and watched the "Wild Flight Show" where we saw all sorts of animals from all over the world. And not all had wings.

After, we looked at all the aquariums with jellyfish, and regular fish galor. We saw Beth do the "Diver in the Water." Basically we saw her during feeding time while another person gave an educational program. It was quite interesting. The stingrays HUGGED her and she bottle fed them! Maybe Steve Erwin should have taken a lesson from her.

Beth was super nice. While we were taking a lunch break at Inflated Subway, she recognized MLG from outside the tank and came up to talk to her. We then ran in to Beth again at the "Reptile Report" where she and a few others fed 7 Sea Turtles of two different species. One was the Green Sea Turtle. Why is it called the "green" sea turtle you should ask. Because they eat so much vegetation their fat is green. But yes, its shell is also somewhat green as well. Here below is Hemingway (named after Hemingway's Farewell to Arms). She is missing her right front flipper. All of the ones there were rescues due to other accidents, such as being hit by boat propellers. One of those was Crush. She had a big crack in the top of her shell which caused her to get an air pocket in her shell. The pocket just so happens to be in the rear so she swims around with her booty in the air. Her nickname is also Bubble Butt. And there was Pickles. Don't recall anything specific about her, but I liked the name. Maybe because she is green and bumpy? In case you have not noticed, the Sea Turtles were my favorite exhibit :)

Oh, I almost forgot! MLG touched a stingray. They are squishy little suckers!

Okay, time to wake up and hit the beach! But below is a little clip of one of the neat little and electrical jellyfish.

Party Planning

My Little Girl is going to have a swimming party for her 6th (OMG!) Birthday. Private party time on Saturday's is from 10am - 12pm.

Do I need to provide lunch?? Or are snacks fine with this time frame??

I OWN A REAL IN GROUND POOL!!!

Today I became the proud owner of a cool in ground pool with diving board and slide. Along with about 135 other people. I bought a bond to the neighborhood pool. heehee. It is so that My Little Girl can quit hanging out on the steps and baby pool.

Last year during swim lessons they were required to jump off the diving board. Well, she hesitated a little and one of the assistants pushed her. After day three of ten lessons, it was pretty much all over. Although, I did make her finish. I told her tell the girl not to push you; that you can do it yourself.

And boy did she tell that girl how it was going to be. At the top of her lungs she turned around and yelled "DON'T PUSH ME! I CAN DO IT MYSELF!"

I was so proud of her :)

So this summer we are going to be taking swim lessons again, but will also be working on our tans together. Oh and having a swimming birthday bash!

Happy Graduation

Last Friday on the 22nd My Little Girl graduation from KINDERGARTEN!!!! It was so cool. They came in to the gym in their church uniforms and blue caps with white yarn tassles, and marched in two lines around the perimeter to the middle of the back of the court. They proceeded to come down the middle of the sets of rows as little couples holding hands. It was super cute! Many of them as they walked had to keep checking on their cap to make sure it was still steady on their head, and I could not help but giggle at the boys with pants that are now way too short with the bottoms no where near the tops of their shoes.

They sang three adorable songs and presented gifts to teachers, aids, room mothers, superintendents, principals, etc. (yes it was a very long list..25ish) They presented their paper mache candle jar in groups of two's holding hands and hugging the recipients.

Then they received their diplomas from The Sister. Little scrolls. heehee so, again, cute! And of course found their parents and posed for pictures real quick.

Finally they presented us with their books that they had published of pictures and stories/answers to questions they told their teachers. She was 47" tall at the beginning of the school year, and is now 49" tall at the end. Mommy is 22 years old and, well Daddy is 42 years old. (I have such a great kid!)And for the first time, she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. cjh - no longer does she aspire to be a basket. Yippie!

Afterwards one of her classmates hosted a pool party, at maybe the coolest home pool I have ever been to. It was salt water with a snazzy water fall from the not hot hot tub.

So it was a great day. MLG is growing up! Sniff, sniff. AAAAAAAaaaand, with all that hand holding and hugging, I now know why my kiddo is so huggy, huggy with everyone.

Pissed...Confused...And will never understand...

I feel that most of what I write about these days is just all sad and terrible. I am like the nightly news that only focuses on the negative things in life. Unfortunately it does not stop; at least not today.

I am very angry. Thursday morning a close family friend of mine who was only 19 was found on the side of the road at 4:30am. Dead. Shot in the chest. By another teen. Over a girl from what we know so far.

This boy was a good kid. He endured an unstable childhood of being bounced around from one family to another but was making something of himself. I saw him like a nephew. He would come down during the summer and holidays from Yorktown to go to church camp, and earn a little money from me, MLG's dad, and other family members. He was a skateboarder that I gave a hard time about his long hair, lip piercing, and his girl friend. He looked rugged, but had a heart of gold.

So why am I not only sad? It is because I do not understand how someone has the faculties to do what was done. I do not understand how a person can be so messed up to come up with these ideas. I do not understand how a person can hurt a person physically this way. I barely understand how someone hurts someone deliberately emotionally.

Fore warned...the next part is graphic.

A friend of mine in Yorktown over heard a lady telling someone what the murderer told her that night, but the police have not confirmed this story since the investigation is ongoing. He was beaten. His teeth were knocked out. He was drug behind a vehicle for a mile or so. Then he was shot in the chest and dumped on the side of the road.

I am pissed that his life was ended at such a young age, that just last year this month I was at his high school graduation. I am pissed that his mother and brother are having to go through this. I am pissed that I have to figure out a way to explain to My Little Girl, who loved him so much and looks fwd to him staying with us, that he is no longer here. I am pissed that the murderer was not raised better. I am pissed that I will never ever really understand why or how even though I will know facts.

I am glad that they have already caught the murderer, that he has confessed, that he led the police to the gun, and that his bail is set at $400,000. But I am pissed that I question my initial thoughts on the death penalty. Because I and everyone else that knew and love him hurt, I want this stupid boy to hurt too. I want him to feel the pain that he felt. But I am pissed that then this boy's innocent family would hurt, too.

I am also pissed that I am scared of what the world is coming to and that MLG is growing up in it. How do I protect her from people like this? That simply because you go to dinner with a group of friends and a particular person is present, you kill them because of jealousy. How can I control this?

So now instead of understanding, rest in peace Matt. We love you and are going to miss you!!!

The Week In Review

Waking up on Monday morning I thought to myself "This is going to be a good week." I mean after all, I am on the backside of my audits since the big huge legal scandal settled week before last, and there were only a few open items. And in the personal life, My Little Girl has been My Little Girl again. Since the OT requirement has ended she has stopped acting out. Thank goodness. The very fine thread that was holding me together was about to snap.

However, of course, had some serious ups and downs.

Monday: busy, busy with acclimating the team post Tax Season and the Partner. Not too mention the client themselves were preoccupied with closing their own March financials. But in addition to a not so productive day at work, Granny was not feeling well again and Mom had to take her back to the doctor for the third time in a week.

Tuesday: more productive at work; Granny hanging in there; Dad has one month left in Houston and will hopefully get a job in Corpus Christi for a 3 - 4 month project.

Wednesday: not productive at work since key contact is out ill and the firm treated us to a Style Show! Granny also went to the ER in the afternoon. This was a very stressful visit. Mostly because she checked in at 3:30pm, was classified as "URGENT," but we went back at 7:30p.m. She went home at 11ish. Luckily they did not detect a blood clot in her leg. But lots of other stuff going on. (Wait for Friday).

Thursday: Was able to request items needed from key contact at client, but did not receive any useful answers. Cannot do my part if I have to wait on them. UGH! Granny feeling a little better after her steroid shot.

Friday morning: Granny had two doctor appts in the morning. One was just a follow up with her primary physician and the other was with a urologist. Apparently Granny's uterus has fallen/detached itself from the wall it should be attached to and is on her bladder. Her bladder is falling out her...va-gay-gay. Yes, that is what I said. It took me a while to understand all this. My mom had to administer a cream down there for her and she could see it. I cannot imagine this. Let alone understand how my Granny shows no sign of pain. AT ALL! I just don't get it. She has an appt with an obgyn on Monday. Currently they are saying there are two options of treatment. 1. Surgery. 2 - 3 hours of an 87 year old women also with atrial fibrillation under. Or 2. inserting a metal ring in the va-gay-gay to hold up the bladder. However, it will need to be removed periodically to be cleaned. Granny can't put cream there, how the crap will she be able to do this??? So we do not know what we are going to do. Hopefully some better news on Monday.

Friday evening: Went to see Noises Off with a friend. Freaking hilarious! Plus it was opening night and little things went wrong that should not have gone wrong, but the actors did a flawless job of covering it all up. Especially when the bottle of whisky (a key prop through out the entire play) was knocked out of a hand and shattered on the floor. Ooops?

Saturday morning: woke up; threw on soccer clothes for game at 9:30. Won the game, flew home at 10:45 to do hair and make-up for dance pictures at the studio at 12! Whew...did it all on time and therefore treated My Little Girl to a movie. We saw Hannah Montana-The Movie. It was actually....good.

Now, off to go Granny sit.

Sunday: Make sure Granny is okay in the morning since that time is the worst; chill for a bit, and then run off to a play date with the friends I previously wrote about at Christmas time. The ones I said we should get together with the kids more often. Yippie!

Thank God I'm A Country Girl

Sunday afternoon the My Little Girl and I went out and visited The Parents and their deer. While out there in the fields she had to go to the bathroom and there was no getting to a real potty in time.

So what did she do? Drop the drawers and squat! Luckily I had a tissue or two in my pocket.

It was hilarious. She has peed out in the sticks before so that was no problem. Well except that it flowed in to her flip flop. I just laughed. I couldn't help it. I know terrible.

But then she said, "Momma, I gotta poop!"

"So go," I tell her and she questions, "In the grass?"

I guess I made her nervous because she told me she couldn't poop while I was watching. I turned my back, she backed up her hiney in the tall grass, did her thing, then like a cat covered it up with grass she pulled up.

She was laughing and I was laughing. I know, we are odd, but she made me promise not to tell any of her friends. She even said "please."

heehee, blackmail!!!

April 15th

Busy Season is OVER!!!! ROCK ON!!!

No more required 10 hour days, and 8 hour saturdays. No more stressfulness at the office. Well, for the next couple of days!!!!

A Little Family History

With everything going on with Dad's heart, he and I have talked about family health history. I found out a little piece of interesting information to add to the knowledge that I already had. I have also been meaning to write about it, but keep forgetting. So here is the second post of the day.

My great-grandma on Dad's grandfather's side had a pace maker. That is the piece of the story I knew. What I did not know is this...

In the 60's Grandpa (who lived next door) found Great-Grandma in the garden. She was not breathing. He performed CPR, and brought her back. She received a pacemaker. I had no idea that they had these little devices way back then. She lived to be 92! Most would say, well with technology these days, who knows what can happen. But she died June 7, 1988! Nearly 21 years ago!!!

If they can do that then, then maybe my Daddy will be okay. :)

And way to go Grandpa!!!

Young Love

Today My Little Girl has a runny, yucky, green nose. And the hoarse voice to go along with it that she loves to make squeak. Luckily, my Mom took her to Dr. D. for me and ran her back to school.

When she got there mom took her to the playground and told her to stay with her until the teachers saw that she was back. Of course she does not listen because her boyfriend Grayson is running towards her. She takes off. In my head I see the two running in slow motion towards each other until they meet and embrace. Yes, Mom said they hugged and then ran off to play together.

On one hand it is, "aww, how cute!" On the other I am reminded that at the Easter party at school while eating together on the bleachers, My Little Girl tells my Mom, "Nan, you can go now; we want to be alone."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!

Of course Nana says, nope; not going to happen. You see they have been in trouble for giving little innocent kisses. And of course MLG's response is, "But we are not going to do anything."

DOUBLE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Both say they are going to marry each other. What a great story that would be, but man, we got some time for all that!!!!

This, That, and the Other

Lots of stuff has been going on lately. Stuff that is actually unrelated to work. Although I must say that that the Partner I am currently working under was nice enough to tell me that the job is in a good position right now; don't worry about coming in this weekend!!! WooHOOOOOOOOOO!

So the last few weeks have given to me my child acting incredibly insane. It happens at this time every year. I think she is seeking attention from me since I am gone so much. She acts out. She disobeys. She won't leave the room I am in. She won't go to another room without me. She whines endlessly. She pouts when she does not get her way. It is becoming quite annoying. What to do?

Last week, my Dad went in for a routine physical with a new doctor since his old one is retiring. New Doc went through my Dad's medical history very thoroughly and asked lots of questions. When my Dad told him that he cannot pass an EKG, New Doc called BS, and ordered an echo cardiogram. Dad had the echo on Tuesday, and got the call Wednesday to come back in immediately. Thursday he received the news that he has some damaged heart muscles and his heart is not pumping enough blood out. The area that is damaged should pump 55% and he is in a range of 20-35%. The techs feel that he is on the lower end. He had a stress test on Friday. Monday he found out he passed that! YIPPIE! There were some other things that Dad had wrong that Old Doc new about, but did nothing. As a doctor friend so nicely put it, my Dad's health was neglected. So if anyone has had Dr. Bruce Wheeler in Victoria, TX, go get a second opinion. See a new internist. Do something. Yes, I said his name. Yes, I am not a fan of his. New Doc said this problem has probably gone on for around 7 years. 7 years of annual physicals that were done wrong. My Dad should have been treated. Dr. Wheeler should have not accepted his border line high blood pressure knowing he has an irregular heart beat. He should have not said there is no medicine for low testosterone when my Dad asked him if there is any meds to treat that, because there IS! He is a suck ASS doc!

Dad is now on 3 meds for his heart, testosterone medication, and will come back in 2 months to do another echo to see if there has been any improvement. New Doc, who has also been consulting with a local cardiologist, has mentioned things like an ICD (a device that shocks your heart when it beats erratically) and a catheter. I personally would like to have to avoid all this, but we shall see what is needed in a few months. Lets hope that there is improvement with medication alone.

Now, on a brighter note, I have a dress for cjh's wedding and My Little Girl has her flower dress. Pretty, pretty. They will be Harvest Gold and each of us bridesmaids have different dresses. At first, I thought cjh was crazy. But it is going to look good. My Little Girl's flower dress is ivory with champaign like the lovely bride. And she will have little heals with some bling bling butterflies on them to go along with the venue. It is going to ROCK!

A very close friend of mine, Tammy Gendke, is running for the Industrial School Board. So if anyone is reading this in the Industrial School District, VOTE FOR HER! It needs some good people!!! I help put out signs yesterday. You go Girl!

Today was the annual family renunion on my Dad's side. Lots of people came out, the food was good, the chit-chat was fantastic, and the Easter Egg Hunt was awesome. My Little Girl came in third, which was really good since she was in the "Big" Kids category. Translation of "Little" kids was 2 and under. So my 5 year old hung with 8 year olds. Pretty groovy. I don't know how many they hid this year, but we brought 48 and took 41 home. She did good.

I also found out today that my cousin is doing some open mic stuff in Austin. Here he is on youtube performing a song he wrote. He has just started doing this and I think he sounds pretty good. And I am typically not a Texas Music fan so that should mean something.

Tomorrow is Easter and I cannot wait. I have the video camera ready. My Little Girl is going to be getting a couple of special presents from the Easter Bunny. Two girl bunnies. I bought them Thursday before dance class. When I went to pick her up one of the mothers was holding a baby cottontail that their cat was about to eat for lunch. When MLG saw it, she fell in love. She told me she wanted one for Easter. Then she said she wanted two. And they both had to be girls. Oh the irony. So I told her she needed to be really good and pray that the Easter Bunny brings her two little girl bunny rabbits. She said, "I am!"

This is what they look like. They are what apparently are called "meat rabbits." The sales lady said in 1 month they will be good eatin'. EEEKK!!! No, not at my house! These little guys were lucky once already. They are left over from the stock show. Maybe I should have gotten a boy and a girl and we could have raised our own rabbits for the fair! Uuummm-No.

Easter pics and video to come soon. Everyone have a fantastic Easter!!!

Ever talked on a blueberry?

Last night at dinner My Lil' Girl tells me that the lady at the table next to us is texting on her blueberry. I said whaaaat?

She has her blueberry out. See.

Ummm. You mean blackberry.

No BLUUUUEEEberry.

I left it alone because I seriously thought: is there something out there really called a "blueberry" and my child is more technologically advanced than me at her ripe old age of 5!?!

Short or long sleeves...or maybe a sweater. I don't know.

Why can't office buildings get the temp right? And why do they have an office space on a thermostat on the opposite end of the building when the offices between have their own? I just do not get it.

I am currently working at two different locations. One building I have to keep the door shut because the air from the hall makes it winter in my temporary office at the client. But I need a fan as well because keeping the door shut makes it hot. But I rather be hot than cold. My fingers don't work too well when they are frozen. Like they are now! At my home office, the paper pinned to my board flies in the wind coming out of the vent above. It is ridiculously frigid in there too. But two weeks ago, the thermometer said 81. Today its probably like 62. What's 20 degrees, right?

Can we not meet in the middle somewhere? Apparently not, so instead, I have to dress for two different climates. The tropical rain forest and the arctic tundra. Right now my hair is growing on my legs from the chilliness. And I am wearing a skirt!

1 meal every 2 days

I knew that eating out was terrible for you, but didnt realize exactly how terrible it could be if you make the wrong decisions. And I have to admit, I am often in the drive thru line for convenience. After looking at this I feel terrible about feeding my kid this stuff.

The following excerpt is from this website (http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100234410&page=1) on msn today. This was the most shocking one to me.

DAIRY QUEEN:

Chicken Strip Basket with Country Gravy (6 piece)
1,640 calories
74 g fat (12 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,690 mg sodium

Sodium equivalent: Like eating 11 large orders of McDonald's French fries! Talk about a value meal: One Chicken Strip Basket gives you almost two days' payload of sodium! If thinking about it doesn't elevate your blood pressure, eating it might. Don't become a statistic.

Eat this instead:

Crispy Chicken Sandwich
560 calories
28 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
980 mg sodium

Take a looksy at the rest of them on the website. Geeeez....

Annual Goal Progress Update

Okay so that list over their on the side that has my 2009 things I would like to accomplish..umm...yeah...not going so well, for the exception of maybe 1.

I am eating better and walking. This weekend I walked 3 miles-ish.

Also this past weekend I started going back to the gym. I think it is my way of relieving the stress at work. I noticed that I also joined this month last year. March must suck for me. But the going only lasted during busy season.

Must stay motivated! And get back to work.

Have I been invisible???

Helllooooo...I am right here. Standing in front of your face. I see you people all the time. Well sorta. I realize that it is typically only at lunch everyday because I have been living at the client since the end of Jan, but come on! I have known you people since June, and others for years.

Sunday - Old friend for 18 years, but really who I have only been talking to for the last 4 months on a regular basis asks me, "What did you do to your hair?"

Ummm...nothing; I need to. I had to cancel my hair appt me yesterday because I was working. Need to get the roots touched up. Why?

His response, "Have you always been a blonde?"

For the past year I have been. Thanks for just now noticing.

Wednesday I get from two friends I see all the time and even babysit their kiddo, "You are a blonde?"

What the crap? Did the highlights all of a sudden appear? Get brighter?

Monday a few girls at work asked me what was different about me. Do you have different make-up on?

Nope, still the same one I have used for a few years. In fact, I was just about to go buy some more of the eye colors because I am literally scraping the edges.

I do not understand. But boy do I feel really loved. :(

Will it ever, ever, ever end???

OMG! I need a little bit of a life outside of work right now!

Nothing is going on right now other than work, work, and a little more work. I have been asked to do a ton of things, for example go see Brad Paisley, Clint Black, Reba, and a few others at the Houston Rodeo, but I had to decline. Why?? Because of WORK! At least 7 at night every night. Except Sundays.

I am even missing out on going to a cool drag race this Saturday in Baytown, so I can get my required 8 hours in.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my job. I like the people I work for and with. But daaaang, I am sooo ready for busy season (AKA REGENCY SEASON) to be over and done. I thought things would slow down after March 31, but I am wrong.

I will not get a little bit of my life back until after April 15th. Well at least the weekends. Bleh! :(

Sadness

Gizzy took a turn for the worst this past week and had an appointment on Friday to administer a few shots and fluids to see if she could bounce back a bit and keep fighting.

She perked up a little Friday. She came and laid by my side while I typed away on the computer. She even was able to sneak up on me. It was a pleasant surprise. But Saturday she was pretty stationary. I kept thinking that the vet said that it could take a few days for the fluids to be absorbed and kick in, but no change by Sunday morning either. She was not eating, grooming, and weak.

I made "the decision" and then the call. My Little Girl would be away for most of the day and I felt that it would be best for her not to have to see me take her away. And for me, too. I was not ready to explain what was going on. I should have been prepared because I knew it was coming; just not this soon.

After the shaky call with the vet, I went to go get her and could not find her. She went in the dog kennel. It was the first time she had done this. I wondered what it meant. Did she know? Or was she going off to a secluded place to just be because she was ready? I do not know, but I will choose to believe the latter.

I miss her. She was the more social cat of the two so I always saw her. She is not there to rub on my legs and purr so very quietly, jump up on the dryer to say hi when I am doing laundry, at the back door wanting to go lay in the grass, or walk in front of the couch with only the tip of her long tail visible as she trots on by. She was truly a great cat!

I found this poem. I think it is really great and can only wish that it could really be true.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Useless Knowledge - "Oh No!"

From the good ol' thinking man over on the right...

In 1980, the Yellow Pages accidentally listed a Texas funeral home under "Frozen Foods."

I do not know my Grandmother

I googled myself. We all do it from time to time to see what is out there with our name on it. I had - nothing. But I found the birth records of Jackson County from 1948 from when my Dad was born. While looking at it I realized I have never known my Grandmother M's middle name. I find it very odd that I do not know it. But then again, I do not know much about her life or family history. My Dad has always said that she does not talk about her childhood because it brings back bad memories. So he knows nothing either.

What I do know is...

• She was born and raised in England. I do not know what town.
• She belonged to the Church of England and is now Presbyterian.
• When my Grandpa went there during WWII, he met her, married her, and brought her back to the States.
• She worked for a construction company in Lolita forever being the secretary/bookkeeper. Mabye this is where I get the number crunching thing from.
• She has a very large scar on her knee from falling out of a tree she tried to climb when little.
• There may be a few brothers. One of which died due to not receiving medical treatment because at the time he went to seek medical services at the doctor's office (not ER), others were chosen to be seen first because their ailments were deemed worse.
• She had one miscarriage before my father was born.
• Her birthday is in December after Christmas. I do not know what day or how old she is.
• When I became pregnant with My Little Girl, I found out the real reason she had a step-father. Her mother was not wed to her biological father when she became pregnant. He wanted to marry her and her father said no. He committed suicide.
• She hated my family history project in jr. high.
• Her maiden name is Clark. I do not know if this was her bio or step-father's last name.
• Her middle name is Margarite.

Keeping The Innocent Innocent

Wow!!! That is, I think, all I can say. I am basically speechless, which is quite rare.

Tuesday is Library Day in My Little Girl's 5k (AKA Kindergarten) class. She has brought home some very interesting books, but none compare to this one. It is a little book called In the Night Kitchen written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Sound familiar? Not to me; never heard of it.

I open this odd looking little book to find a baby with his booty sticking up and a little "something" barely poking around. I flip through the book and see full frontal three times. Needless to say I take it and prepare for a little sweet chit chat with the teachers this morning.

I politely say good morning, open the book, and ask them if we could try again. They were shocked. They had no idea that this was in this book and proceeded to tell me that they felt that the Librarian had no clue either. Really? She further said that she heard the girls giggling over the book, but all she saw was the hiney. Again...really? My child does not need to be looking at hineys in a book from the Catholic School Library! Who? Where is the responsibility?

I did a little research and became more disgusted with our Librarian for their lack of knowledge of the content they manage for the kids of the school. Especially when a friend told me that their librarian reads all books from cover to cover before they go on the shelf. Here is what I found:

Controversy in the United States

When Mickey (who looks to be about three years old) enters the Night Kitchen, he loses his pajamas and spends much of the story fully naked. Critics of the book object to Mickey's nudity (which explicitly depicts his penis and testicles), with some librarians drawing little pants on Mickey with a marker, or diapers with correction fluid. Some also take a Freudian interpretation of events, with the nudity, free-flowing milky fluids, and giant (allegedly phallic) milk bottle. Sendak himself claims not to have been trying to be controversial; his decision to derobe Mickey was to avoid the "mess" that falling into the batter would make of Mickey's clothes.

As a result, the book proved controversial in the United States on release and has continued to be so. The book has been ranked 25th place on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000" compiled by the American Library Association.

And there is another copy of this book that was checked out by MLG's best friend. I happen to work with her mom and she did not see it in her backpack last night. She has been praying her mother-in-law does not find it today when she picks her up.

Below are the cover and 3yr old boy flying around the pages...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

Busy Season Is Here....And for anyone reading this...no I DO NOT DO TAXES! I audit. AUDIT. People's businesses. It really annoys me that people cannot understand that there are many, many areas of accounting. And even after I tell them, they still ask me TAX questions. I do not get it. Oh well..

So since life has been very busy, here is a quick list of things over the past three weeks.

1. Arrive at work at 8; take 30 min lunch usually; leave at 7 on most days. Work Saturday 6-8 hours and then some more on Sunday. It all ends in....MAY!

2. Giz has her days. My Mother and I give her fluids via a needle once a week. She perks back up. Vet says that she has maybe a few months. That was two weeks ago. :(

3. My Little Girl had pneumonia. Again. Her 3rd time. And before that she had bronchitis. And after the pneumonia, a sinus infection. 3 rounds of different antibiotics, steroids, an expectorant, and singular makes for a happy little camper. Especially because of steroids which probably led to ...

4. The Blue Note. AKA as the conduct report from school. BAD. Very BAD. It says that MLG was "saying unkind things to and about her friends." MLG's side = she was talking about her birthday party and was only inviting 7 people. One of the two girls she was talking to, but not the other because she wanted to invite one of my friends, cjh. Her b-day is not until July and I have not even began thinking about it. Will deal with note and conference with teacher hopefully this week.

5. Bad behavior has continued. This morning, I disconnected the cable from all TVs and put up her Leapster. Unfortunately I will need to reconnect mine in my room so I can watch American Idol.

6. MLG told me she wanted her lip pierced! Luckily friend on phone told her a story about her college friend whose lip got infected and fell off. YUCK. I think the desire has passed.

7. Actually had time to go fishing at Granny's with the parental units and MLG. We caught crabs. Ha, ha , ha... and my phone fell in the river while trying to feed a crab over a 7ft drop off. My Daddy saved the day while I held on to his arm so he would not go for a quick swim. Phone is currently drying in a bowl of rice. Please, please, please little phone work. I have sooo much info in it I need.

Tough Decisions

This week I was faced with a very tough decision and it actually is not over, yet.

My cat Gizzy suddenly lost weight. I took her in at the end of December when I noticed that . The vet said she had a major cut in her tongue and that could be the reason for the dramatic weight loss in the past few weeks. It was almost healed and hopefully things should be getting better. He did say that there could be other major reasons why she could be losing weight but he would have to run extensive tests to determine if something else was going on. He told me that his gut feel was that it was the big gash in her tongue, but I could bring her back in a month and reweigh her. Fair enough.

At first she was gaining weight and I was happy. Still eating, still pooping, still active. This past week though, her mood changed and again she looked like more weight just drastically left. So I took her back in to run the extensive tests.

The results are that she has kidney failure. Her numbers are double and almost triple the upper limits on two things they test. 75% over kidneys are damaged but her other 25% are compensating pretty good. She is only 7! But Dr. Mark says that it is common in cats. I didn't realize this.

So my options are 1) hook her up to IVs and flush out her kidneys for a few days to see how she responds and if she responds favorably I could put her on a special diet and come in twice a week, once a week, or maybe even biweekly to get a fluid shot; 2) do nothing and let her live a little longer until she is uncomfortable and then put her down; or 3) put her down now.

According Doc, she is in good health otherwise and depending on the progress of the failure she can live another few months or several years.

Anyone reading this knows I am an animal person. My pets are like my kid to me. Unfortunately, option 1 is not exactly cheap and she does not have health insurance. I have talked to my Mom and Daddy about this and this is what they told me,

Mom: "It is a waste of time; just put her down."

Daddy: "You do what you feel is right. I believe that it is my responsibility to care for my pets the best way that I can. Then let them go when it is time and you will know when that time is. Your mom talked me in to putting Sugar (my childhood dog) down right away when we found out she had a small cancerous tumor. I regret it to this day because she was still full of life. Running. Playing. Happy."

I am not ready to let her go, yet. I can't. I have not done everything that I can to try to help her. So, even though it will be costly, I have chosen to give her fluids for a few days and I will get the test results of her progress back today. If she responds favorably, I will then proceed to see how a maintenance program will go and decide what to do as time goes on.

I checked up on her yesterday and her first night went very well. I even discussed with the vet her quality of life while trying this treatment and in the future. The last thing I want to do is have her suffer. He also said we will know when it is time. She will quit eating, grooming, and she will become withdrawn. Gizzy is not at this point.

So I hope my kitty feels well, is happy, and does not suffer. She is the sweetest, most friendly, and beautiful cat. Here is a pic of her, but it so does not do her justice. BTW, I got her while living in Lubbock. Her Mom had babies in a warehouse next door to a friends place of employment and the Mommy was ran over. Several of us took in her kitties and I got this one.

Huh...

I just noticed that my little thinking face over there on the right had this...

Phobia: ouranophobia Fear of: heaven

Really? I know people fear death and some should fear Hell. But do people really fear Heaven? I guess I figured if you believe in Heaven you would want to go there.

Correction

Just like our good ol' local rag (AKA The Hictoria Advocate), I have a correction to make. My Granny's China is really WHITE. Not cream as previously stated.

Also, Granny broke one tea cup a long time ago. I found on a website where I can get one with a small saucer for $26.00. Is this reasonable? I cannot find it anywhere else. Not even Ebay. Maybe reasonable does not matter since I do not have another option.

Guess What I Found?

Last night I was putting my Granny's china in my snazzy new China Cabinet I talked about previously, and I opened up the bottom right cabinet, looked in the back to clean out the dust, and found...

!!!THE MISSING SCREW!!!

So for $300 bucks I got a complete set with only a few small unnoticeable nicks!

Seriously, how cool is that?

Here is Granny's China. Sorta. Hers is cream, but goes quite well with the dark wood and quite festive for Christmas.

Welcome to the Family

So, my house has minimal furniture. Just the necessities that came along with me when I moved out of my last apartment 2.5 years ago. Yes, 2.5 years ago and I have not acquired anything substantial. Why not? Because I cannot find what I really, really, REALLY want.

For example, a china cabinet to go in to the "formal" dining room/area that is somewhat small, opens in to the living room, and has a door on the opposite side that goes in to the kitchen. Actually I wanted two china cabinets. Two small corner ones to go on each side of the door for each of my grandparents china sets and my great-grandmother's silverware. Other than the "corner" requirement, I also wanted it to be dark wood, have a couple of drawers, nickel hardware, straight lines, and have lights. I could find nothing "corner like" in the right color that was not completely glass all the way down. Okay, Okay, Okay...I was being really picky! But....

The last few weeks a friend and I have been hitting up the clearance stores for good furniture at lower prices for her first house! I tagged along and came across this little diddy that was everything I wanted except the ability to fit in to a corner. MSRP $1,900. Sold at the normal store for $900, floor model reduced at the clearance center for $300. Minor chip on side in the back, one screw missing, and no glass shelves. Could I settle for this at this price?

Heck yes; especially with the additional 10% promo they were running. But it gets even better. My friend got the sales guy to find me the 6 shelves to go in it. So all I have to do is buy one screw to reattach the handle. Can you see the flaw below? Sweet deal, huh?


I also decided to change up the light on the post outside my house in the front yard. Its BLUE and I love it! Definitely stands out from everyone else in the neighborhood and gives a cool glow throw my windows in to the living room. Love.Love.Love.

Where did the week go???

So I am chillin' at my friends cool, new, old, 2bed/1bath, awesome porch swing house in the big town of Goliad (woohoo) wondering where the heck the week went. O, I know...It went by very quickly do to multiple illnesses in the household.

Being the proactive Mommy that I am (or at least so I thought), I took My Little Girl to see Dr. D on Monday since she did not have school. I thought she was developing a simple little sinus infection. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeellll...Dr. D said, she has very bad sinus infection, very bad bronchitis, aaaandd there is wheezing in her lungs. Take this; take that; come back in one week.

Really? All that and no tiredness, whininess, high fever, nothing. Kids; why am I not that resilient? Especially since come Tuesday afternoon while MLG is bouncing around all over the house, I begin feeling like poo. Then Wednesday I get to bow down to the porcelain God all day.

So three days of vacation or sick time already gone and we are still in January. Perfect. Guess I will be working this weekend. All weekend.

But, even though the week sucked, I was very productive during the weekend. My list of "To Do's" posted last Friday went fairly well.

• Go through My Little Girl's Toys and Clothes --CHECK
• Go through my own clothes and shoes -- UMM NOT CHECK :(
• Pick up House -- CHECK
• Clean Carpets -- CHECK
• Take down remaining Christmas decorations. Yes, they are still up. But...at least I do not turn them on! -- CHECK

Even though I did not go through my own clothes and shoes, I did also get all my leaves picked up off my lawn. 23 39 gallon yard bags sitting on my driveway waiting to be taken away!!!! Good job, huh? Actually, I had a little help in this area. Cheap labor. Also known as friend's 13 year old boy. Hey, teaching good work ethic and responsibility, right?

Weekend Goals

For my first weekend at home since mid December I plan to:

• Go through My Little Girl's Toys and Clothes
• Go through my own clothes and shoes
• Pick up House
• Clean Carpets
• Take down remaining Christmas decorations. Yes, they are still up. But...at least I do not turn them on!

Update on Monday as to my success.

Posting.

I am getting bad about having days go by without posting. The sad thing is, I will be in the car or somewhere without a computer and think, ooo I should post that. But then by the time I find myself near a computer I forget what I was supposed to talk about. I guess that means it really was not all that important to begin with, right?

So The Bride, AKA cjh, is progressing along with wedding plans and is writing about them. I am so excited about it all that I will probably end up writing from time to time about it all. Like her groovy little wedding cake toppers...love them. And besides, I need to enjoy at least one wedding. I will just live vicariously through hers. :)

What else?? So My Little Girl got her report card on Friday which my Mom read before me. grrr..But anyways, MLG got the "*" with a little note. The "*" was next to her "S" (Satisfactory) for Plays and Works Well with Others. The "*" says "needs improvement."

Really? How so? Help me out here, Teach. Gotta be more specific than that when we are talking about potential behavior issues. So I wrote back to Teach and said something sorta like this:

I have not seen nor has anyone ever told me that she does not play or work well with others. I would like to discuss this since I am unclear as to how I can help her so that that she can improve in this area. Please contact me on my cell phone at ###-###-####. Thank you. Mommy.

I have not received any communication from Teach, yet. I turned it in on Monday. We shall see how long it takes her to respond and in what form. But I really do not know what she is talking about. Any behavior with playing/working well with others appears to be developmentally appropriate to me. Will occasionally not want to share, or get upset when she does not get to win, or play the game she wants, but come on...she is 5! I guess I will just keep you posted on my child's all of a sudden inability to get along with others.

!

Today I got to go to the Bridal Extravaganza! with cjh and the rest of her Lovely Ladies. It was fun. There are soooo many options for one decision. WOW!

But none can really be finalized until you have a date, which depends on having a LOCATION! And so far, most locations require you to give up the majority of your budget and your creativity. I guess most people would rather pay for convenience and have someone provide most of what you need. An almost one stop shop if you will. But what about those who want to have options; who want to add the personal touch, tap in to their craftiness, and make their wedding unique? Who actually would like to pick the caterer? Weddings should be representative of the couple's personalities and relationship.

But I think once she finds this one intricate puzzle piece, she is going to fly through the rest of her decisions to make this day hers and The Fiance's. And now she is probably saying to herself, "geeez, I wish!" :)

Dreams - what do they mean?

Night before last I read a book to My Little Girl that she checked out at the school library for the week. It was titled Bill and Pete to the Rescue. Bill is a Nile Crocodile and Pete was his toothbrush (AKA a bird). It was an odd little book. Papa crocodile was taken by the Bad Man and turned him in to a suitcase. Even more creepier, the family had a picture of a suitcase on their living room wall. Well in the end it turns out that Papa was actually alive and in the illegal rare animal exhibit of the Brother of The Big Bad Man. All were reunited and lived happily ever after.

So what does this have to do with dreams??? That night I dreamt that I was at my current age but back at a river where my babysitter for the summer would take us to swim. Just so happens, we quit swimming there when we saw an alligator a few feet from us as we were actually in the water. This time I was there with My Little Girl and her father's lab/retriever Hercules. We were swimming with a black inner tube. Black is important to know because also that night I watched a special on great white sharks and the colors they are attracted to. (Never wear a red or yellow scuba suit; black is much better.) Anyways, when I notice the very large crocodiles creeping up around us, I slowly and calmly kick to shore with My Little Girl and Hercules. The crocodiles get nearer and nearer. As we approach the boat ramp, My Little Girl gets out safely, but they start biting my legs and get little "nicks". I find myself being saved by Hercules who is under the water snapping at them. I get out and he too is able to leave the waters safely.

I turn around and peer over the river to see a massive amount of extremely large crocodiles and lots of people in boats, on little islands, and one actually standing on the back of the largest acting as if he is surfing. But then a woman who is standing on one of the little islands and has been oblivious to all the talk and action, dives in to the water with her family yelling at her from behind and everyone else around her, "No don't!!!" She never surfaces and through the "clear" brownish water, you can see her being thrashed around by three or four crocs and blood is spreading.

I then wake remembering every detail vividly as if I were really there and thought..."What did My Little Girl dream about last night???"

2009

What would I like to achieve in 2009? There are lots of things going through my head. Some big ideas, and some small. I figured if I write them down they become real and maybe, just maybe I will accomplish them. So, I decided to pick my top 6 "Must Accomplish." I think I might even list them over there to the right to remind myself every time I log in.

1. Eat healthy and work out at least 3 times a week. I am the one that will go get fast food because it is convenient. I am also paying for a gym membership that does not expire until April 2010. Why not use it, right?

2. Finish redecorating My Lil' Girls room. We have lived in the house for ummm...2.5 almost 3 years now and I have only made baby steps in getting it done. I think I have not finished it because of just one thing that I am not construction inclined to do. At least that has been the excuse.

3. Start studying for the CPA exam during the summer. I need to just suck it up and do it. But this might put a damper on #4.

4. Save a specific amount of money by making a budget and actually sticking to it. I do not like seeing the savings stay the same or, especially, go down. I was so good in Houston with saving and need to get back on that track.

5. Take a small vacation. Preferably to Las Vegas. I have been to the airport there several times, but this time I want to actually stay there for a few days.

6. Quit neglecting yard work. Currently I have leaves. Not grass. Leaves. And actually a little dirt now because my grass is dieing. Po' grass.

I think my list is attainable which is key to accomplishing something in my mind. The hardest will be numbers 1 & 3. So any support will be very much welcomed.

2008

2008 started off really rocky and it seemed as though it was going to end that way too. However, it ended quite well. Often we dwell too much on the negative and forget about the positive. So here is a quick list of the good and bad, but in reverse order so that the best is saved for last!

The bad or sadder side of 2008 brought:

1. My Uncle was in a terrible accident in January. They did not think he was going to survive, but he miraculously did and for many, many months had been in Houston receiving intense therapy at TIRR.

2. I also had two Great Uncles pass away. Both gave me unique childhood memories and they will be missed.

3. I disliked the company I worked for.

4. Several close friends were affected by Hurricane Ike.

5. I left the Board of the Zoo.

6. In December my Dad lost his job.

Now on to better and brighter things:

1. I changed jobs and I am happy at my new place of employment. The people are great, the work is challenging, and so far, nothing to complain about. I can see myself working here for a very long time.

2. My Lil' Girl began Kindergarten!!! Wow...it is so hard to believe she is already 5. Where has the time gone? Next thing I know she will be leaving for college.

3. We added a dog to the family. Her name is Diamond and she came from the Dorothy O'Connor Pet Adoption Center here in town. At best guess by their staff, she is a Shih Tzu Mix. I think the "Mix" means poodle. She is great. Loving and very protective.

4. My friends survived Hurricane Ike.

5. I saw my best friend, Chad, from college who I had not seen since we evacuated for Hurricane Rita. And we went to the Madonna Concert!

6. I started this blog and found an old friend.

7. My Uncle came home the week before Thanksgiving. The road to recovery is still long, but we are very thankful he is still with us.

8. cjh got engaged! I am so very, very, very happy for her!

9. My Dad found a job! In fact he started his first day in Houston today. Good Luck! I hope all is going well. Especially Excel 2007!

So that is basically it in a nutshell. I am glad that the second list was longer than the first.