boring

too tired to write much anything of interest, but had to get these few things out because otherwise i will forget them later.  *laugh*


it was a good day at work, aside from some venting by some coworkers due to situations beyond their control.  well, our control - i vented some, too.  but after venting we were all fine, because that's what venting is for, right?  (literally - think about why you vent your food in the microwave - it's to release some pressure so said food doesn't explode, right?  so, there ya go.)  


there was some hilarity surrounding my proclamation that my perfect man is a canadian cop/mountie/detective of some sort.  mmmm.  : )  i do love cops/detectives/PI's, etc... and canadians.  oh, canada!  seriously, it was FUN!  there was also some fun conversations around yesterday's cupcakes... i still am so amazed that mr. boss's boss did that!  he really does rock!!  


i worked til 5:30 & then met michelle at thai for dinner.  i had pad thai, which was different for me.  it was DELICIOUS of course!  had a side of peanut sauce, as well, because after discovering it i now order it w/ everything.  YUM!  : )  we  had great conversation & it was nice catching up & hanging out!  i also got to chat w/ my friend mel in the hallway at work & that was nice, too.  she reminded me how BUSY february is!  *laugh*  she has a lot of birthdays that month, too.


i got home around 8 & finished The Perfect Poison.  can't wait for the next book - there was an excerpt at the end & i wanna read it now!!  but, since i don't have that book, i am going to read my friend laura's first novel, Isabella Moon.  she sent a copy of that & her 2nd book, Calling Mr Lonely Hearts.  she mentioned something on her fb & a couple of us were like - ooh, we would love a copy! - and she sent us one!  i love my friends!! heh.  so, i'll start IM tomorrow.  while i'm at the dentist - who is ironically named....Dr. Moon!  :D  


for now, tho, i must sleep.  i didn't watch any hulu because i was just basking in the silence for an evening.  weird, i know!  


hope your day went well & that you have a wondrous wednesday!  : )  


ttfn!

beach boys

God is so good!  I woke up & got up this morning in time to stop at the ATM & then Kwik Shop, and get to work at 7:15.  I don’t normally bring my book to work w/ me, because I work thru lunch & don’t really have time to read it!  however, today, I grabbed it for some reason – I don’t even remember the exact thought I had, but it was along the lines of “just in case I have time.”  well, this morning, after talking to a friend about taxes, I sent Phil a text about tax stuff – telling him to make sure he claims Leyton & files first so that there isn’t an accidental claiming on Jen’s return, since this is his legal year to claim his son.  He texted back a thank you & also asked if I could pick Jen up from the airport tonight at 7:30, since she has to drop off the rental car she got for the weekend.  The airport is closer to work than to home, and being at work til 5:30 it didn’t really make sense to go all the way home & then back to the airport.  So, this way I had my book to read while I waited for Jen!  :D 

i got a lot read, too!  first i stopped at the mandarin to pick up dinner - crab ragoon for the car & shrimp fried rice for when i got home.  i settled in to wait, expecting 15 minutes or thereabouts.  it was done in like 7 minutes!  way cool normally, but i'd been looking forward to the wait/reading time!  LOL  i went to the mall parking lot, but there wasn't enough light.  then i sat at mcd's for an hour or so reading w/ plenty of light.  it was pretty nice!  

also nice, hugs from Leyton when i dropped Jen off.  : D  and when i got home, i got to chat w/ april for a bit & watch some Endgame.  

 

This afternoon, one of our managers was headed out, and he stopped by to see how we were doing so we chatted a bit.  As he left, I told him to have fun & if there were cupcakes where he was going, to bring me back one.  *laugh*  He said he was going to the bank, so my wall-mate said, “Well, she might accept a Dum*Dum” & I said, “oh, sure, bring back a lollie!”  LOL  So…he came back from his outing – WITH MINI CUPCAKES!  J  He rocks. 

 

I was also quite productive this afternoon, getting a hundred some pictures into the system, made a doctor’s appt, called in my script refill, whipped thru vacations, and got thru some claims.  Woot! 

And tonight?  Tonight the stars are out in full force.  Love it!  

 

God is good.  All the time.  :D 

 

Ttfn!

 

slacker

today was quite the lazy sunday, and very nice!  leyton woke up about 6:30 & wanted to get up, but i made him wait an hour.  i did let him come up to snuggle w/ me, tho & he went back to sleep for about 1/2 an hour, so that was good!  *laugh*  we did get up about 7:30 & had breakfast & watched thomas & stuff.  mom picked him up at about 10 & i watched some GH & read my People... 


cover story of this week's magazine?  yet ANOTHER hollywood couple breaking up - this time heidi klum & seal.  it makes me so sad, that the reason they gave is they "grew apart."  to me, that is not a reason to divorce, ESPECIALLY when there are kids involved in your marriage.  what does that even mean, seriously?  to me, "growing apart" just says that you stopped communicating, caring, or working on your relationship.  you let your careers get in the way.  reasons for divorce, in my opinion, are very few.  infidelity, abuse, lying... i should say GOOD reasons for divorce.  and i don't say that in a harsh or judging manner - every marriage - every relationship - is different and unique unto the parties involved in that relationship.  but when you commit to live your lives together, it is just that (or supposed to be) - a commitment!  lately it just seems like that fact flies out the window.  and i find i am a lot more sympathetic about divorces of ppl i know than i am about hollywood divorces.  i think because in the past year or so there have been so MANY hollywood divorces, and the reasons most recently have all been the same.  they still love each other, but they drifted apart, they're living separate lives now, they have been living in different countries... idk, it just makes me go grrr.  and it also makes me very pessimistic when i read about hollywood engagements or marriages anymore.  instead of being happy for my favorite celebs, my first thought is, "i wonder how long this will last?" i hate feeling like that!  i like to be able to root for ppl, ya know?  


anyway!  i didn't even realize i was going to write about that, again.  sorry!!  


so, after reading & whatnot, i met mom & leyton at wendy's for lunch, where we had quite a lot of fun & leyton made friends w/ various ppl thru the restaurant, as per usual.  he is quite the social dude!  *laugh*  


i slacked on pictures today because he didn't really want to take any.  so i guess - is that really slacking?  *laugh*  


after lunch,, mom went to grammy's for cards & i took leyton to her house for nap.  i played bejeweled on mom's DS, read some of The Perfect Poison, and watched Nickelodeon.  i had forgotten how much i love iCarly!  *laugh*  also, there's a show called Victorious, and i was sucked into it because they did a Breakfast Club thing.  they were really clever w/ it, too (from an older person standpoint - i have to believe that kids wouldn't get the subtext unless they'd seen the movie, such as "are you a vegan?  admit it, you've never had the warm tortilla shell with meat, cheese, lettuce...")!  there was also a show called big time band or something like that, which was ... i honestly do not know how i felt about the show.  other than to say it did have cute boys who could sing.  that was another thing i noticed - disney stars get a lot of attention for being musically inclined, but nick stars nowadays are just as musical!!  


i guess, if you think about alanis, they always have been... LOL 


anyway again, leyton napped for a couple hours, and when he got up & mom got home, we played a rousing game of payday!  leyton was the banker & he did a pretty smashing job!  hooray!  i left around 6 & came home to watch more GH & write & catch up on the rest of the blogs!  


but my computer is being snarky, so i think i'm going to see if i can watch GH & read my book.  


ttfn!


p.s.
i sincerely hope my rant on the (recent) prevalence of hollywood divorces isn't taken personally by any of my friends who have gone thru or are going thru a divorce.  my thoughts are directed solely at the ppl covered by entertainment magazines, those who have opened their lives up to the public.  i do not think their decisions to separate/divorce were easy for them - at the very least i hope the decision was not! - but from the admittedly limited information provided, i have stated my opinions.  thanks!

hulu & chat

it's a pretty good night, since i didn't get to the movies.  mom had to work later than the movie.  bummer!!  


so i chatted w/ april & watched a glee to warm my heart, alcatraz, the finder, and bones.  i did that backwards, tho - watched ep 3 of the finder & then the ep of bones that introduced him.  lol  : )  


****
Saturday: 
well, so, i fell asleep 1/2 way thru that episode of bones.  wasn't feeling very well last night, apparently!


it was a good day, tho!  today was nice, too.  i slept til 10:30, having interesting dreams.  i was supposed to be at mom's at 11, so i rushed around & threw on some clothes & headed over there to catch a ride to leyton's game.  anthony went w/ us, so that was fun!  i like when he hangs out w/ us.  : )  


the game was fun & went fast.  the kids are learning more & one little girl on leyton's team is especially good at layups for a preschooler!  after the game, anthony wanted to go to hardee's, leyton wanted to go to CFA.  i was the deciding vote & i really wanted hardee's, but leyton was having a mini-meltdown, so mom said he could either pick CFA today or Wed - he picked today.  except then they were so packed we couldn't even get into the parking lot!  d'oh!  so we ended up at IHOP.  it was good!  they have some new hashbrown stacker meals that are YUMMY!  : )  and we had quite a lot of fun w/ a yellow bouncey ball... heh.  

so, i was taking a picture of the IHOP sign, and accidentally got leyton doing this.  

 after he saw that picture, he wanted me to take a couple more like it.  LOL 

then we decided to go to the family museum & see the turtles & play for a bit.  anthony decided to go w/ us, which made me happy!  

 *ahem* swiss army turtle.  ; )  

we went back to mom's for awhile to play payday and have a bite to eat for dinner before heading home.  i dropped anthony off at home - had to help get him IN because his key wasn't catching or something & the dead bolt didn't want to open!  he worked on it for awhile before i went up to help - i'm glad i don't just drive off when i drop ppl off, but actually wait for them to get inside!!!  


leyton & i got here about 7:30 & immediately it was bath time - he threw a fit for some reason but was fine just before that & was fine as soon as he got IN the tub.  it was really weird, and all i can do is attribute it to tiredness?  idk.  i just know i'm glad it didn't last long!!  after bath, we had popcorn & watched a couple episodes of thomas & then it was time for beddy bye for leyton!  


i watched the rest of that Bones episode, then caught up w/ the lying game & switched at birth.  now it's time for me to rest my eyes!!  : )  


how'd your saturday go?  


ttfn!

apple

7:15 - 5:30
yogurt & a granola bar.  and 1/2 a serving of donuts.
ham & cheese on an english muffin w/ hummus, carrots, fritos & cottage cheese.  i love hummus, who knew?!
pork roast, broccoli, brown rice.  mmmmm!  
bowl of cereal.


i think there was another granola bar in there somewhere, and i know there were some apple slices.


so blessed!  hung out at trish's for dinner & big bang theory, Rob!, and a movie which turned out to be The Covenant.  thanks for dinner & hanging out, trish!!  : )  


read blogs, computer needed a night off from hulu, so just the quiet house.  wrote a letter.  


thank God tomorrow is friday!  hoping mom gets off in time to go see One For The Money.  loved the books, hope the movie's good... katherine heigel & dude whose name i forgot are adorable, so i'm sure i'll like it!


must sleep!  say it w/ me folks - another BUSY day tomorrow!


ttfn!

frazzled

i'm feeling very overwhelmed this week.  at work, at home, in life. 


at work, my coping mechanism is to be very organized and schedule out blocks of time to get things done.  i'm not rigid - if i schedule 2 hours for task A & it actually takes 2 1/2 hours to complete, i just move the schedule around.  it doesn't upset me, generally, or anything.  


at home, my coping mechanism is pretty much to ignore.  i make lists in my head of the things i want to do or things i think should get done - like organizing my library and movies, my desk, my clothes... but when i get home from work i am TIRED and i just want to watch my shows & read & eat dinner & then go to bed.  being tired (TIRED) doesn't stop me from planning things after work, however - dinners w/ friends, hanging out at trish's or w/ mom & leyton (& sometimes anthony when he deigns to hang out w/ us!  lol)... last night there was a dance troupe i wanted to see out at the JD HQ (they have a visiting artists series every few months), but by the time i left work at 6 i just wanted to be home.  so i guess the doing things after work is hit or miss.  *laugh*  


the "in life" portion of the overwhelming feeling is tied to finances, health, eating habits, etc... i feel like the only way to "make it" w/o shuffling bills every month is to get another job.  but i'm so busy at the job i have, and especially thru april i won't know what time i'm leaving on a daily basis.  and i know that ppl fit all sorts of things into their lives when they have to - i mean, ppl have 2nd & 3rd jobs and kids and school and  - but then when do they have time to do anything ELSE?  


and they have their reasons for doing those things.  mostly, i think, because they think they "have" to.  or they genuinely want to - and that's okay.  i just don't.  but if i choose not to, then i have to accept that i'll likely never be out of debt.  i keep plugging away, shifting & paying what i can & hiding from creditors (not really) & playing hopscotch w/ bills so i can afford groceries & gas & medications & doctor's appointments.  


and there is another point of stress/frazzle/overwhelming feelings - i have diabetes.  i want to make sure i'm managing it & doing what i need to so i can live a looooong, healthy life.  that includes taking my medication daily & going to the doctor.  except the doctor is cause for more anxiety because she generally wants to do things that i do not want to do, that i'm not comfortable with.  but there again, there's a perception that certain things are "necessary."  except i don't think they are.  but maybe they are?  how's one to know?  meh.  those thoughts go round & round in my head & i don't expect anyone to understand that paragraph because i can't seem to articulate those thoughts well at all!  


anyway.  i am just exhausted, but i don't feel poorly.  does that make sense?  


even in this feeling of being overwhelmed at work, i am still ENJOYING my job.  i love doing what i do, helping ppl, talking to them, i love the things i get to work on!!  the little annoyances, i go "grrr" over but they don't really bother me.  i just have to vent & then i am okay.  ya know?  


tonight i hulu'd - Castle, and hilarie burton guested.  oh my heck, girl crush!  lol  i love her on one tree hill, white collar, and she was really good in this guest spot!  so good and so against "type" that it took me awhile to recognize her!  i knew it was someone i knew... lol  

i was looking for pictures & found this one from an article about OTH when she left.  did you know she also has a production company?  Southern Gothic Productions based in NC.  not only adorable, beautiful, and a talented actress!  : )  


then i have been seeing this advert on hulu for awhile for a show called Endgame, & checked it out tonight.  SO GOOD!  apparently it only lasted a season?  but that's okay, i'll watch the season & enjoy.  : )  and rediscovered another boy crush... shawn doyle.  *laugh*  he plays a russian in this show, but he's CANADIAN!  love me some canadians... :D  


alright, anyway, i should sleep.  tomorrow - another busy day.  *laugh*  i'm thankful for the busy days, and truly feel - better busy than bored!  


what makes you feel overwhelmed?  and how do you handle it?


ttfn!

tired me

breakfast - yogurt & a 90 calorie granola bar.
lunch - sushi & broccoli salad
dinner - cereal & some chips w/ the rest of my yummmmy adolph's salsa.
also possibly popcorn.


worked 8-6.  it was a pretty good day.  BUSY.  i mean, like, there is just so much to get done, and it's like every time i blink my schedule says i should be on something else & i'm not.  which is frustrating!  so i am trying to block out more time for things, because inevitably i'm interrupted 19 times while trying to do something, so it takes twice as long... *laugh*  


but this all makes for a boring blog, sorry!  i got to chat w/ erin for a bit tonight finally.  yay!  wrote out some post cards.  thought i would be able to watch some hulu but not happening tonight.  


wanted to go to bed at 8, but now it's 10 & i feel like i have my second wind!  what is up w/ that?  anyway, i'm going to pop some popcorn & watch an episode of buffy & then go to bed.


hope your day was productive & peachy!  : )  


ttfn!

monday magic

happy monday, party peeps!  how'd your day go?  did you get a lot accomplished?  did you play outside?  did you have sunshine or rain or snow?  


my day was tiring, but good.  i DID get lots accomplished, at least in the memorial department.  sent out a bunch of checks & created a bunch of requests for more checks, and that was pretty much my day.  *laugh*  i was going to get vacations in at the end of the day, but decided 5:15 was a good time to scoot my bum out the door, so i'll work on those tomorrow.  : D 


after work i stopped at hy vee for milk & cereal & sushi for dinner.  i also picked up some hummus, chips, yogurt & found a new amanda quick to read, which is a sequel to her book that i read on vacation.  woot!  i love unexpectedly finding a book i'm looking for.  or, rather, not looking for but want to read.  ya know?  


when i got home, i tried to watch Once Upon A Time, but my computer said no, so i'm in safe mode just chatting w/ april & catching up on my blogs.  soon i'll pop in some buffy & curl up w/ my new book.  : )  


doesn't that sound like a lovely idea??  


ttfn!

FIRST

robots are cool.

having groups of HS students (or younger) building robots is awesome.

getting up at 5:30 in the morning will make 8PM feel like midnight.

volunteering is fun.

arriving first for volunteering opportunities is quite fun!

so yeah, i got up on time (yay!) at 5:30 (boo!), ate some yogurt & headed out to the Putnam.  it was daaaark!  there were like 3 cars in the parking lot & i had that anxiety going on in the pit of my stomach.  but i got out of the car & purposefully made my way to the doors, which were thankfully propped open... i met the head of the museum (nicole)(well, she was the head of something at the museum, idk that she was the HEAD of the MUSEUM *laugh*) & the head guy who put everything together (pat) & for the first 15 - 20 minutes i held the doors open for ppl coming in cuz they were still locked.  heh.

i'd been told i would be helping w/ volunteer check in, but as it happened i ended up at the team registration table.  which i liked a lot, because i got to meet all of the team coaches!  

the other volunteers i met were super nice & one guy who is some sort of an engineer for my company & another guy, who ... idk what he does but i think he works at my company LOL, both helped me w/ some prep work & we had fun.  later i went upstairs to register (because i was the first volunteer there, and i hadn't registered yet!  LOL  i just dove right into the work!) & they invited me to breakfast, but because i was at the front table now i didn't have time.  i shouted to the engineer (and i am kicking myself because i LOOKED at his name tag so i'd remember his name & now i can't remember it!!) to bring me coffee (hahaha) w/ 1 cream & 1 sugar (hahaha) & then went downstairs & immersed in the registering of teams.  well, 1/2 an hour later or so, he came down w/ a cup of coffee for me!!  :D  i was honestly surprised & pleasantly thankful!  : )  and that coffee really hit the spot!  it is just more proof (not that i needed proof) that little kindnesses bring GIANT happiness!  : )  

i'd been scheduled to work til 11, but team registration was over by 8.  i hung around for another hour, helping w/ pizza orders & whatnot, chatting w/ pat & mr. coffee engineer & one of the coaches who had a cool last name & another volunteer who was at the registration table w/ me & is also on the FIRST committee.  then i went upstairs to see if there was anything else i could do, but the important stuff was done (registering) & i'd been planning to leave at 11, so pat said i could go.  : )  

i got a nifty pin & t-shirt for volunteering, and a lanyard w/ my name badge.  and it was still early enough for breakfast when i left, so i stopped at hardee's for a sausage cheese and a diet pepsi.  mmmmm!

when i got home, i finally finished Double Booked For Death & watched some Revenge & GH & waited for mom & leyton to pick me up.  i THOUGHT they were picking me up after church for lunch.  in reality, they weren't picking me up til like 1:30.  i had them bring me some lunch, tho.  heh.  we picked up anthony from his friend's weekend party & headed to the Putnam to watch the robot battles.

now, when i say "battles" i don't mean like they were attacking each other - remember that show?  i can't remember what it was called (robot wars?  idk!) but it was a neat show, robots all chopping at each other & stuff.  grant imahara was a big part of it... anyway, this wasn't like that.  the robots were programmed to do a series of tasks autonomously in the first bit, and then the kids took up game controls that were programmed to control the bots.  there were bowling balls & raquet balls & baskets that they had to move into certain areas.  

leyton loved it, and had so much fun!  

anthony did NOT have fun & was kinda a brat about it.  :(  

i love the boy, but there are few things that truly UPSET me, and being ungrateful or rude are two of those things.  meh.  i didn't let it ruin my good time.  : )  neither did leyton or mom, so that's good!  

oh, and mr. engineer was still working on the computer for the comp - and he'd had his hair sprayed pinky/purple!!  lol  i wish i'd gotten a picture of that, or of the giant robot who was a mascot for one of the teams...alas, i did not.  but i assure you, they were both quite neat!  

we left after the qualifying rounds, stopped at hy vee & then headed to mom's for a couple hours.  we ate some dinner & the boys & mom played some payday while i took a little nap... LOL  we left a little after 5, stopped at WM for me to pick up my Rx (and look at billfolds because the one marcie kindly gave me is coming apart, sadly!) & then mom dropped anthony home & then me home.  

ahhhh, so nice to be home!  finished up the week's GH & now i'm watching Fringe & then i am going to SLEEP!  tomorrow starts another buuuuusy week!  : )  

what'd you get up to this weekend?

ttfn!

henry

when i was little, i had a stuffed puppy named henry.  he had a name tag w/ that name on his chest.  grandpa gave him to me one year for christmas.  i think i was 4.  i had a little bean bag puppy that looked like a mini-henry but w/o the name tag, and his name was love puppy.  i miss love puppy!  idk what happened to him.  :(  


anyway, leyton is 4, and today gramma bought him a huge stuffed elephant.  and he randomly named the elephant... henry!!  honestly, i just thought it was so neat that he picked THAT name.  of course, henry's middle name is thomas.  *laugh*  which is a less surprising name for him to choose, ya know?  


today was fun!  i didn't sleep in as late as i thought i would, but watched some hulu when i got up.  bones & some GH & i think something else.  *laugh*  then i went to the bank & to pick up lunch for me, mom & leyton.  now, leyton said he wanted a happy meal from mcd's.  but i wanted hardee's, so i called him back & asked if hardee's would be okay.  he said he really wanted mcd's, so my plan was to stop both places.  except, when i got to hardee's, i completely forgot the plan & ordered a kids meal from there!  so then i felt bad & went to mcd's anyway & got the happy meal.  he was happy - he got two toys!  and mom was happy - she'd ordered a side salad, but i was running late so she didn't have time to eat that before leyton's game & was happy to see the cheeseburger!!  heh.


the game was a LOT of fun!  the kids are all improving & making more baskets & being more comfortable w/ the game.  it's neat to have seen game 1 & now, to notice the changes... : ) 


after the game, we went to sam's to pick up my new glasses (yay!  no more tape!) & leyton got his elephant & we ate some yummy samples of deliciousness.  : )  we picked up some broccoli salad & pinwheel snackies & such for dinner, too.  mmmm!  

we went back to mom's for bath, jammies, dinner, Sorry!, cuddles & some disney channel.  he was up late last night & didn't get a nap today because of the timing of the game, so 8 o'clock was bedtime!  plus, i needed to get home & get stuff done since it's an early bedtime for me tonight as well.  5:30 is going to come reallllly early!  *laugh*  


so, i watched Grimm & Revenge & now i'm off to bed!  well, in like 15 minutes when the show's over.  heh.  


how'd you spend your saturday??  


ttfn!

snow & shoveling

how was your day, today?  did you have any snow?  do you like snow like trish likes snow?  heh... 


snow falling is pretty when you're inside & when you look out the window it seems like you're inside a snow globe.


snow piled up in your driveway/walkway/stairs/parking lot/porch that you have to shovel in order to park is NOT pretty or fun or cute or anything like that.  


thankfully, today i wore jeans to work (shocking many ppl who have never seen me in jeans) AND remembered to put my shovel in the car so i didn't have to traipse thru the drifts to get to it!  : ) 


payroll cutoff went well.  i got everything in & left at 5.  didn't get my vacations more than sorted, but with the weather being what it was, i didn't feel bad about leaving those for monday!  we also had a pot luck to celebrate someone's new job, and there was some awesome food!  someone made a mexican corn dip, served w/ fritos, that is ...mmmm....yummy!  there were a few other dips as well, and i was mostly good.  for lunch i just had carrots & mushrooms & a few chips to dip in my roasted red pepper hummus.  who knew i would like hummus so much?!  it's delicious!  : )  


sam's called & my glasses are ready!  yay!  if the weather had been better, i would have picked them up tonight.  as it was, i just wanted to get home!!  i did stop at the buck's, tho, because i have a gift card & a green tea sounded like it would hit the spot (it did).  then for dinner i made some garlic noodles & meatballs, and added in some adolph's salsa a friend brought in for me.  it is way tasty w/ chips, but also sooooo good in pastas & as a sauce for other stuff (baked potato, oh yeah!).  


nothing too exciting when i got home - shoveling, warming up, watching hulu - tonight's programs were White Collar (*cheers!!*), Royal Pains, and The Finder.  love love!!  and then just for kicks i watched my man harry shum jr in his feature ep of the LXD, Elliott's Shoes.  : )  good stuff, maynard!!  


now i think i shall hit the hay.  tiiiired!  oh, the FIRST challenge was moved to sunday because of the weather & ppl have to travel, so i get to sleep in tomorrow but then up early sunday.  i'll take the sleeping in tomorrow, tho!!!  oh crap, i kept forgetting to send stacy a note & see what time she's going over to nicki's.  i couldn't go because of volunteering & then it got moved... oh well, leyton's game is at 1:30 or something, and i am SLEEPING IN.  sorry, nicki!  i hope your knee is healing nicely!!!  


ummm... what else?  there was something else...?  ah well, i'll think of it later.  for now, my warm & comfy bed is calling.  


ttfn!

my friends bless me

spent today on claims, timecards, claims, claims, claims, and oh yes, timecards.  *laugh*  there were some other things interspersed in there, but mostly it was those two things from 8 am - 5:15 pm!  


i once again have to say how much i LOVE my job, tho.  even when it's insanely busy & i sorta feel like i can't figure out heads or tails, being able to interact with ppl & talk to them & help them solve their issues or educate them on something so they DON'T have issues... it's grand!  


after work, i met my friends anna, dawn, dawn's daughter brooklyn, and jeff at the thai restaurant.  we had been planning to go to a bar & grill downtown, but jeff mentioned thai to try & entice his wife into joining us w/ their daughters, and as soon as he said thai, i wanted to go there instead.  so i asked if that would be alright, everyone said "yay!" and that's where we went.  mrs jeff & the girls didn't join us, tho.  :(  ah well, next time, hopefully!  


we had lots of fun, just the 4 (6 - brooklyn & dawny's tummy baby) of us anyway!  i had pineapple fried rice & it was YUMMY!  brooklyn had these really neat crayolas that are crayons but in plastic...they're housed like markers but they're crayons!  have you seen these?  they are super neat!!  i want some...  : )  it is so great to spend time w/ friends, just laughing & talking & eating & laughing some more!!  i was so happy jeff was able to join us.  tho we did miss mel, and holly... but, hopefully i can continue to do well scheduling once a month or so & ppl will be able to make it!  dawn's baby should be on the outside for next month's... 


after dinner i headed to trish's for an awesome episode of secret circle - things were revealed, more questions were raised, it was neat!  but then next week we don't get a new ep??  *boggle*  not sure what that's about.  we watched the mentalist, which i am coming to really enjoy, and then i braved the cold once again to come HOME.  i should have gone right to bed, but instead i read some FB posts & blogs & ... heh.  i did have an apple w/ some PB as well.  that was good.  : )  


oh!  i received some postcrossings today, from the netherlands & taiwan.  and also a thank you card from ginger in arizona.  quite nice haul!  one of these days i'll scan in all the postcards from the past couple months... not tonight, tho!!  i need to pull up a few to send at that time, as well.  


i hope your day went well!  goes well, if you're reading this at the start of your day!  i am off to read a couple more things & then SLEEP.  tomorrow is payroll cutoff, so ... idk what time i'll be able to leave!!  


ttfn!

censorship

hi there!  so, i don't get this whole SOPA/PiPA thing.  i mean, i understand that there's a proposed law out there to basically crush the freedoms afforded on the interwebs.  what i don't understand is how this illogical, unAmerican idea even made it this far?  if someone can explain it to me with something other than, "Logic?  in America?  Bwahahahahaha!" please enlighten me... LOL 


it hurts my heart that someone (anyone, but especially our government who theoretically is supposed to be PROTECTING our rights...) could take away my voice.  that i - that the blogging community - would feel stifled, afraid to post anything that could possibly be misconstrued... and shoot, i don't want to give up my hulu!!!  


today was another long day, as expected.  that was the only thing that went as expected, tho.  *laugh*  well, i guess i train someone to help me w/ the photos, and i got all my vacations done (about 100, whew!) and confirmed claims... and helped a boatload of ppl out w/ timecard issues!  never dull, thank the Lord!!  : )  


mom called at around 5 (still at work) to see if i wanted to hang out tonight w/ her & leyton.  anthony had been hanging out w/ them after school, but decided to go home w/ his mom when they picked jen up.  so i left at 6 & went to mom's.  we played baseball (i know i'm not objective when it comes to my nieces & nephews, but i really think leyton has excellent baseball stance!) & snuggled & watched food network & disney.  and i played some bejeweled on mom's DS.  ; )  


i took leyton home about 8:30 & then didn't leave til an hour later, under HIGH protest from him!  he didn't get a nap, and leaving gramma's was NOT PRETTY because he wanted to stay the night there, but they have an appt in the morning & so he needed to be home.  he was fine in the car (we listed to Santa Claus is Coming to Town on repeat almost the whole way) & when we got home he went immediately upstairs to brush his teeth & get his jams on.  we read a story about the Autobots & said prayers & got tucked in w/ Sprout on.  i shut the door & was all set to leave (it was about 9:30 at this point - and then leyton said, or screamed, "aunt carrie, i'm scared!"  and proceeded to get up & cry & try & get me to stay for awhile.  finally about 20 minutes later i left.  i knew he wasn't really scared, he was just EXTREMELY tired, at that "so tired i am cranky & yet can't sleep" point.  so i didn't want to "give in" but i couldn't just leave him screaming & crying at the door, either... *sigh*  (not only because seeing him crying punches me in the gut, but for anthony, too, who was playing some war game w/ a buddy on the xbox.  he (nor william, the buddy who could HEAR EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON) didn't need that.  lol  


anywhoo.  i am hoping that leyton fell asleep pretty soon after i finally left, because he needed SLEEP!  


i'm very grateful & happy that i got to see both leyton and anthony tonight.  and that anthony told william, when he asked who i was, "that's my aunt, she was dropping off my brother."  awww.  there was a time when he wouldn't call me his aunt.  so that tiny little thing made me all glowy inside.  : D  


*yawn*  time for sleep!  another busy one on the books for tomorrow, but after work is dinner w/ some friends at the river house.  woot!  


ttfn!


oh, p.s. - the FIRST ppl emailed me back today & i'll be volunteering at the registration table on saturday.  i have to be there

at

SIX - THIRTY IN THE FARDEN MORNING!  

lol  i am a little worried about getting up so early... i'll have to go to bed at 10 friday night... heh.  but i think it will be fun!  please pray that i am not attacked by anxiety & that i will actually be able to do this!  thank you!!  


ttfn!

alcatraz

is what i'm watching right now.  cuz jorge garcia is in it.  :D  and also sam neill.  rah!


sometimes i eat cereal for dinner because i love cereal & it sounds good.  sometimes i eat it for dinner because i don't get out of work til 6 & i really want sushi but i don't want to go to the store because it's been a long day & i'm tired & i just want to go home.  so, tonight for dinner i had a handful of tortilla chips w/ french onion dip & a bowl of cereal for dinner.  i was going to have some salad, but then the dressing i remembered i had in my pantry... well, i checked out the expiration date & it's 2010.  whoops!  i didn't think it'd been THAT long ago that i bought it, but apparently so.  


and that made me wonder what else in my pantry is past its expiration date, but i'm too tired to go thru it tonight.  and probably will be too tired to do it this week any time because i will likely be at work til 5:30 or 6 all week.  except perhaps thursday when i have dinner plans if the weather holds.  *laugh*  so maybe saturday i won't make any plans & will clean it out.  altho i did volunteer for the FIRST competition, but haven't heard anything back from them, so idk if i am doing that or not.  


honestly, at this point i am kinda hoping not because i am so tired!!  but on the other hand the reason i volunteered for it in the first place is because it'll be cool.  so, i guess i'll leave it up to them to call.  LOL 


anyway, back to alcatraz.  15 minutes in & i am loving it, so i hope it does well!  : ) oh, also, White Collar is back tonight, but i'm not sure when i will get to watch it!  : ) 


ttfn!

crab ragoon

happy MLK day, peeps!  what does that even mean?  i mean, is MLK day really a celebratory day?  or rather a day of remembrance?  well, at any rate, i don't understand quite why we celebrate MLK as a national holiday & not other ppl... i mean, he was an influential man who had awesome ideas and helped many ppl.  he was murdered and taken from the world "before his time."  history is full of men, and women, who were influential and taken before their time.  so, i just really wonder... who chooses these things?  of course, i also wonder who chooses which national holidays will also be work holidays.  like - we get MLK day off but not President's day.  some places get Polaski day off, but not everywhere.  am i the only one?  *laugh*  (likely...)


anyway, i was happy to have a day off!  i slept til 9:30 & then got ready to meet trish for lunch.  we went to the mandarin buffet & it was oh so good!  i did NOT overindulge in crab ragoon, so i was a bit proud of myself for that.  i do really well w/ buffets in general, because i don't like the sick "too full" feeling, so i don't eat that much.  but crab ragoon ... well, sometimes i eat ONE too many.  *laugh*  not today, thankfully!  while we were there, my friend stacy came over to say hi!  (not the same stacy i hung out w/ on friday.  lol  i have a few stacy/stacey/staci's as friends!)  : )  


after lunch, trish & i went over to the mall because she needed a particular strobe light for her son's wedding.  of course the light had to be in the store i've boycotted since HS, but i did go in w/ her.  they have some cool stuff, it's true, but they also are known for their ... inappropriate ... merchandise.  i just don't think it's necessary to have a dancing boobs wall hanging, penis straws, vibrators, and highly adult games/valentine candy/etc., at a store in the mall where kids can just walk in.  


but, as discussed before, i'm a prude.  and i'm okay with that.  we were talking about sons of anarchy & true blood on the way, as well.  they are both amazingly storied and acted shows, shows with storylines that i am highly interested in.  i won't watch either of them, however, due to the gratuitous nudity/sex featured.  i just don't think there's a reason for it.  i LOVED the sopranos, but there were storylines/scenes in it that i felt were unnecessary - even for a show about the mob.  


i'm not saying that YOU shouldn't watch those shows for the reasons that I won't watch them.  you have to make your own decisions.  and if you watch TB (ahem, joy & april) - could you catch me up on what's been going on??  *laugh*  


after the mall, we stopped in to sam's so i could pick out my new glasses.  trish did a good job helping me w/ frames.  : )  i really like them - i'll be sure to post a picture when they come in, which should be this weekend.  unfortunately, the trip was not all sunshine & roses.  :|  apparently, my insurance company likes to A) lie and B) not cover my lenses.  you see, after the little incident at lenscrafters, i called UHC, my insurance company.  i gave them my policy number - twice, because the automated dude asks for it, so i punched it in, and then when i finally got to a rep, i had to repeat all the information i'd punched/spoken into the phone for the automated system.  WTH is that about?  really w/ all our technologies, we can't figure out a way to keep that all together, so that if a customer has entered all their information thru the automated system, it goes to the CSR when they eventually get to a live person?  harrumph.  


anyway, that's not what i'm mad about.  i specifically asked what my policy covered.  i was told, "frames up to $130 & lenses (for single vision, which is what i have) are covered at 100%."  i also went on their website, to make sure that sam's was an in-network provider.  yep, they are.  alrighty then!  so i picked out frames that are less than $130, and sat down to get the glasses ordered.  now, i'd expected to pay a co-pay on the lenses and frames.  what i was NOT expecting was to find out that my insurance only covers TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS of my lenses.  WHAT?!  because, you see, the 100% coverage apparently refers to plastic lenses.  due to my prescription in my left eye, i can't have plastic lenses.  however, NOWHERE did i read that the 100% coverage was for plastic lenses only, and the rep i spoke to on the phone certainly did not mention plastic lenses!  


so, i am left w/ the question - WTH?!  so, United Health Care, if you're reading this, please answer - how can my policy say you cover single vision lenses - from an in-network provider - at 100%, and then actually only cover $25?  please explain the logic.  the ethics, as well.  i pay premiums.  and i have a HDHP, so Lord knows you aren't paying for my doctor's visits & prescriptions.  other than some discounts, what are my premiums getting me?  and how can you say you cover something at 100% when you do not?  my $125 and i would like to know.


bah.  


at least i had fun hanging out w/ trish & i got to chat w/ april tonight.  also watched Once Upon A Time, Grimm, and caught up w/ Bones.  : )  so those things made me happy!  


now, time for bed!  back to getting up at 6:30 tomorrow & it will be BUSY.  hope your day went well & that you have a terrific tuesday!  


ttfn...

laughter is the best medicine

psych makes me laugh.  HARD.  love it!!  


OLTL made me cry.  HARD.  loved that, too!  LOL  i can't believe it's over.  and other than the very end, i thought it was really well done.  actually, if the online deal had worked out, and i knew the very end storyline would be continuing, i would have loved it, too.  


after watching the end of OLTL, i headed to mom's to hang out & play PayDay.

this was mine & phil's FAVORITE game when we were little.  and it's still super fun to play!!  : )  leyton was excited, too.

he also had an interesting hat/crown... 

we had lots of fun, and after dinner, lots of cuddle time.  we watched the new phineas & ferb & celebrity food fight or whatever it's called.  *laugh*  rachael & guy's show.  i missed who got the boot, tho, because as leyton was running in to go to bed, he stubbed his toe on something & so i went in to pray over it!  


goodness, all this Psych watching & writing & reading some article about mitt romney ... it's 2AM!  sleep is calling.  tomorrow i'm meeting trish for shopping & lunch, so i need to be up by 9:30 or so.  normally that is sleeping in, but if i'm not going to bed til 2 AM ... LOL  


so, i hope your sunday was blessed & your monday restful or productive - or both!  : ) 


ttfn!

a joyful noise

a blessed day!  got the remainder of my christmas packages mailed - and a whole 2 weeks before my average!!  LOL  hopefully they will all get to their destinations safely & soon & everyone will like them a lot (they really aren't much - this year was kinda lean!).  : )  


leyton's basketball game went really well.  he got a lot of plays in!!  : )  

after the game, mom & i went to see A Joyful Noise.  very sweet movie, and i would actually call it a musical, because let me tell you, there are a lot of full-length performances!  while there, we saw some friends of ours from way back in the day of the church i grew up in, and my cousin dawn!  they were all out together to see the movie & hang out afterward.  it was very nice to see them!!!


next, mom & i went to sam's.  she needed bottled water & a few other things.  i restocked my yogurt & had a couple really great samples - and one awful one for a protein shake.  ohhh, that tasted like crayons.  :|  blech!  but then i tasted a mango juice & it was nummy!  and a turtle cheesecake.  mmmm!  then there was a whole scheduling thing & mom was in an annoying mood, but she finally got over it, which was good.  we managed to make it thru WM - where i saw an ex-coworker & got to say hi for a sec.  he's good ppl & i miss him - he just turned 65 & that's how old daddy would have been & ... yeah.  he's just a good guy.  i wish he was still part of our group!!


after WM, we picked leyton back up & went to las margaritas for dinner.  tasty, but i have to remember not to get the #20 next time.  i'm not going to say it was TOO MUCH cheese, because even hinting that such a thing is possible is just wrong.  however, perhaps i do not need to eat that much cheese in one sitting.  : )  it was good, tho!!

we went back to mom's to watch phineas & ferb & play & take a bath & hang out.  leyton deigned to have some aunt carrie snuggle time, which was sweet!  : )  


and now i tried to watch an episode of psych - i gotta catch up! - but i'm too tired to keep my eyes open for much longer, so i am off to bed!  


have a great night & ttfn!  : )