Jenster started a fun game and I asked if I could play . . . I got the letter "C".
Rules: If you want to play, leave a comment on this post, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on...
1. Cats--> I have always liked them. Consequently when I found out we were moving to PA from NJ, I had visions of a long winding driveway in the country . .and of course a cat. Though my dad said he did not like them. Guess who is his best friend now . . .Ollie the orange tabby cat. I am thankful for the little kitty cat in my life-Oreo.
2. Chocolate--> Need I say more? Cadbury Mini eggs are my favorite. Used to be a once a year treat, but I found out they had cadbury Christmas balls for the holidays.
3. Camping--> Despite my dislike for being dirty and stuff like that, I like camping. I know it is odd, but . . so be it.
4. Coffee--> It is just a good thing to have in your life I think.
5. Communication--> I am learning that life goes much smoother with good communication.
6. Comfy clothing!--> There's nothing like getting home from work and putting on your comfy clothing. Especially when you have your period and feel bloated and stuff.
7. Cookie Dough--> I am not entirely sure why anyone would want to bake the stuff when the raw stuff is so good. I remember feeling so sneaky when I was a pre-teen when my friend and I made two boxes of cookie dough and we froze it so that we could eat it for the next month or so!
8. Cushy chairs--> I have alwasy said that when I get my "beanie shack" I will have cushy chairs in it. In all the art therapy pictures I drew where they discussed what would make you feel safe and such, I would draw a chair. The first major furniture purchase I made was a big cushy chair.
9. Children--> I love children--most everything about them. Especially cooing at babies.
10. Crocs--> They are just really comfortable. I have a pair of regular ones, and a pair of the flip flops. I think I will need to get a new pair for next summer as I have worn my very well.
Well, there you go!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Change is in the air!
Much change is coming my way . . .from a job, to having to give up my active dislike of G.W, to welcoming a new president . . .I can hardly contain myself.
I officially end my job in the city today. I have finished with clients, and today I really only have a celebratory lunch, and changing of phone messages to say I am gone. It is all so very bittersweet as I have loved 90% of what I have been doing. I will miss the flexibility, the freedom, the families, and the connections I have made with other social workers. There is nothing like being in the presence of other social workers that know first hand what the work is about. It is not that others don't understand, but the feel and support of other social workers is amazing. The 8-4 life will be mine from now on . . .this will be a hard adjustment. Mostly for the puppies. . . yeah, for them really.
They haven't told me anything really about what the contractor role will be, so I don't know much about that. I start the new job on Tuesday--though I wish I could call out sick. I am sure they will not be watching the inauguration, so I am taping it on CNN and NBC. The energy around this change is palpable, and I am excited to see what America can become again. I am expecting that it will get worse before better, but I am ok with that.
I didn't watch any of W.'s speech last night . . .I also can't get the anti-Bush paraphernalia off my car . .they have been on there for over 5 years . . .good thing I need a new car by summer.
The new job has already started--and I realize I will need to be able to set limits, take criticism, and be more vocal about my ideas. All things that are very challenging for me. The awesome things is that therapy has been great lately, and we have been working on all of this. Now I just need to put things into perspective and not continue to feel like i need to do it perfectly.
Ok, ADD moment-I am watching TV while posting--I get so freaking emotional when watching the Biggest L*ser and there's the one person who is coming in dead last . . .and inevitably they all go out and help that person finish. . .way to help the fat kid. I wish I had someone to help me cross the finish line . . .
In other news--Riley has been very sick, though I think he has a bit more pep in his step today. After the kennel debacle, he had to go to the vet and was diagnosed with giardia, kennel cough, and eye funk. Over $300 later, he seems to be on the mend. This has officially become the most expensive vacation we have ever had!! I sure do love that little fellow though, and even though it's a lot of money, his face was pathetic. I know many of you have seen this picture already, but just for more sympathy, here is is again:
Until next time, I hope you are all staying warm out there!
I officially end my job in the city today. I have finished with clients, and today I really only have a celebratory lunch, and changing of phone messages to say I am gone. It is all so very bittersweet as I have loved 90% of what I have been doing. I will miss the flexibility, the freedom, the families, and the connections I have made with other social workers. There is nothing like being in the presence of other social workers that know first hand what the work is about. It is not that others don't understand, but the feel and support of other social workers is amazing. The 8-4 life will be mine from now on . . .this will be a hard adjustment. Mostly for the puppies. . . yeah, for them really.
They haven't told me anything really about what the contractor role will be, so I don't know much about that. I start the new job on Tuesday--though I wish I could call out sick. I am sure they will not be watching the inauguration, so I am taping it on CNN and NBC. The energy around this change is palpable, and I am excited to see what America can become again. I am expecting that it will get worse before better, but I am ok with that.
I didn't watch any of W.'s speech last night . . .I also can't get the anti-Bush paraphernalia off my car . .they have been on there for over 5 years . . .good thing I need a new car by summer.
The new job has already started--and I realize I will need to be able to set limits, take criticism, and be more vocal about my ideas. All things that are very challenging for me. The awesome things is that therapy has been great lately, and we have been working on all of this. Now I just need to put things into perspective and not continue to feel like i need to do it perfectly.
Ok, ADD moment-I am watching TV while posting--I get so freaking emotional when watching the Biggest L*ser and there's the one person who is coming in dead last . . .and inevitably they all go out and help that person finish. . .way to help the fat kid. I wish I had someone to help me cross the finish line . . .
In other news--Riley has been very sick, though I think he has a bit more pep in his step today. After the kennel debacle, he had to go to the vet and was diagnosed with giardia, kennel cough, and eye funk. Over $300 later, he seems to be on the mend. This has officially become the most expensive vacation we have ever had!! I sure do love that little fellow though, and even though it's a lot of money, his face was pathetic. I know many of you have seen this picture already, but just for more sympathy, here is is again:
Until next time, I hope you are all staying warm out there!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
Kennel Update
So DP called the kennel--thanks in part to my annoying her endlessly until she did. THANKS sweetie!
They said the daycare was actually closed due to a bad case of puppy bronchitis and they were instructed by their vet to not have daycare. They also said it was a pretty serious strain, and that we should watch the dogs. Would you have not thought this would have been important to mention to us when we picked the dogs up?
As for the toys, they said that during high traffic times, such a holidays that they do not use toys brought from home since it is too much to keep track of. Again, fishy if i say so myself.
all of it makes sense, but doesn't make me feel like i want to use them again. Jen, you will have to share with me where you took Sookie.
oh well, at least we are home and back with our woofies. riley is much more clingy than usual, and we think he has a cold. he is sneezing up a storm, and has a really runny nose. i sort of feel like i should shove tissues up hi nose like i do when my nose is runny in the middle of the night. i use one tissue and plug up both holes. works well for catching the drips--even if i do look like a bull.
alas, i don't think we would appreciate the gesture. for now it is enough to stay out of line of snot fire when he sneezes.
thanks for all your encouragement with what we should ask and say at the kennel.
Special message for Lyn--3 posts in two days!! what do i get for THAT?
They said the daycare was actually closed due to a bad case of puppy bronchitis and they were instructed by their vet to not have daycare. They also said it was a pretty serious strain, and that we should watch the dogs. Would you have not thought this would have been important to mention to us when we picked the dogs up?
As for the toys, they said that during high traffic times, such a holidays that they do not use toys brought from home since it is too much to keep track of. Again, fishy if i say so myself.
all of it makes sense, but doesn't make me feel like i want to use them again. Jen, you will have to share with me where you took Sookie.
oh well, at least we are home and back with our woofies. riley is much more clingy than usual, and we think he has a cold. he is sneezing up a storm, and has a really runny nose. i sort of feel like i should shove tissues up hi nose like i do when my nose is runny in the middle of the night. i use one tissue and plug up both holes. works well for catching the drips--even if i do look like a bull.
alas, i don't think we would appreciate the gesture. for now it is enough to stay out of line of snot fire when he sneezes.
thanks for all your encouragement with what we should ask and say at the kennel.
Special message for Lyn--3 posts in two days!! what do i get for THAT?
Things for the New Year
For the New Year, we have decided to work on the following:
1. Eating better . . .This means eating more food that we prepare from in season food, food that we can get locally, organic vegetables (we would want more organic, but we can't afford it all). We will only eat out once a week as well. We will try and make meals that we can freeze for future days. (This means buying a small freezer for the basement) DP will work on learning to can for the summer when we have veggies. I have also made a commitment to not be so rigid about my food and counting calories and such. With my new birthmas present, i have downloaded an application called Lose it. Here i can record my food daily from a searcheable database. I can even add foods that aren't listed, and it keeps them for me to refer to later. Also tracks nutrients that I select such as carbs and fiber, and weight chart. You can add exercise and with all the info you put in it tells you what you should be eating calorie wise given what you want to lose.
2. Money . . .we want to work on our debt. We have so much debt . . .heard a sermon today at church about working as hard as you can to eliminate debt. They also talked about what it would be like if this financial crisis is only the beginning and it gets worse-a lot worse? I just don't want to have all this hanging on me. While I type this, I also know that we will need to replace my car in the next six months, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for this. But alas we will try and work on it diligently.
3. Exercise . . .we decided to each be responsible for a pup a day and being sure they get walked. Also, once i start the new job they have a gym there and i am secretly excited about prospects of working out again. i am definitely a gym kind of person, so this will be good. i need to get myself into some kind of better shape physically. given that i am already dealing with bone and body issues, it makes sense that i work on this--though it hurts to work on it.
4. Flexibility . . .DP keeps reminding me that I need to be flexible, and I have been able to ask for more support about challenging my thoughts about rigidity. She is doing all of this with me, and i can't tell you how much that means to me. everything you read says that outcomes are much better when you have support, and even more so when that support is the closest person to you. together we have a better chance at succeeding.
I just want to feel better about myself. I am really working on myself and am doing so well, and these things can only move me forward. I need to find the balance between healthy and obsessive . . This is hard for me as I get obsessive very quickly.
Wish us luck! It has been a few days, and we are doing well. I even tried raw cauliflower today and liked it. People, this is HUGE! I am excited!
1. Eating better . . .This means eating more food that we prepare from in season food, food that we can get locally, organic vegetables (we would want more organic, but we can't afford it all). We will only eat out once a week as well. We will try and make meals that we can freeze for future days. (This means buying a small freezer for the basement) DP will work on learning to can for the summer when we have veggies. I have also made a commitment to not be so rigid about my food and counting calories and such. With my new birthmas present, i have downloaded an application called Lose it. Here i can record my food daily from a searcheable database. I can even add foods that aren't listed, and it keeps them for me to refer to later. Also tracks nutrients that I select such as carbs and fiber, and weight chart. You can add exercise and with all the info you put in it tells you what you should be eating calorie wise given what you want to lose.
2. Money . . .we want to work on our debt. We have so much debt . . .heard a sermon today at church about working as hard as you can to eliminate debt. They also talked about what it would be like if this financial crisis is only the beginning and it gets worse-a lot worse? I just don't want to have all this hanging on me. While I type this, I also know that we will need to replace my car in the next six months, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for this. But alas we will try and work on it diligently.
3. Exercise . . .we decided to each be responsible for a pup a day and being sure they get walked. Also, once i start the new job they have a gym there and i am secretly excited about prospects of working out again. i am definitely a gym kind of person, so this will be good. i need to get myself into some kind of better shape physically. given that i am already dealing with bone and body issues, it makes sense that i work on this--though it hurts to work on it.
4. Flexibility . . .DP keeps reminding me that I need to be flexible, and I have been able to ask for more support about challenging my thoughts about rigidity. She is doing all of this with me, and i can't tell you how much that means to me. everything you read says that outcomes are much better when you have support, and even more so when that support is the closest person to you. together we have a better chance at succeeding.
I just want to feel better about myself. I am really working on myself and am doing so well, and these things can only move me forward. I need to find the balance between healthy and obsessive . . This is hard for me as I get obsessive very quickly.
Wish us luck! It has been a few days, and we are doing well. I even tried raw cauliflower today and liked it. People, this is HUGE! I am excited!
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Finally Back
Hellllllloooooo Everyone! I am glad to be back and in a space that I can write and let everyone know what I have been up to. Thanks Lyn for the swift kick in the a** to get me going.
First off, it was a very good vacation. We did a lot of traveling. Typically this would be a good thing, and in the past we have always booked on Midwest as we thought they had the larger and more comfortable seats around--oh, and you get a free chocolate chip cookie. Who can beat that. Well, seems as if Midwest has done some downsizing and now are only flying their smaller planes to WI--meaning smaller seats. This sucks people because I have a fat bottom. In fact, so does DP-->two fat bottoms in a small seat does not for a good flight make. We have come to accept this, and are working on reducing the largeness of our bottoms . . .but alas I digress. We get on the plane and find ourselves very, VERY close. Smushed to the point that we weren't going ANYWHERE should that plane have gone down. It was quite embarrassing really, and I am so glad I was traveling with DP and could be close to her. We vowed to not feel that way the next time we fly.
We were delayed getting out of Philly by about 3 hours, though we did get to see Santa at the airport and had our picture taken with him. We made it to Green Bay around 6pm which wasn't too bad. It was -5 degrees when we got there--COLD, but there was a ton of snow on the ground, and it snowed almost every other day while there.
While there we enjoyed the company of DP's family, including her sister and her boyfriend who came over from MN. We had a good time on Christmas day, and watched a few movies while there-including my new favorite-Mama Mia! How fun is that movie. I voted to watch the sing along version, but was vehemently shot down.
The day after we celebrated my birthday by going shopping. Not my first choice of birthday activities, but it was tolerable and I even managed to find some goodies.
I got the best Birthmas present this year. I got an iPhone which I am in love with. I am struggling right now with finding that balance between wanting to be connected, and feeling TOO connected. It was lovely to be able to look something up the other day while DP was driving, and be able to click on a phone number from a website and have the phone call it. I have been slightly distressed about not having the calendar application I need, since a majority of the reason I got this thing was to reduce the amount of gadgets I carry. I am looking at how I can get Outlook. It is very expensive, and I thought I would see if maybe someone had it that I could use. We will see. Once that little bug is figured out I will feel settled with it. For now I will maintain my Palm. DP was very jealous of my phone and ended up buying one of her own last night with her Christmas earnings.
I received a lot of other great things, and I am continually amazed at how well DP's family knows me and gets me. Their gifts are generally spot on!
It was good to just hang out and lay low. We had to board the dogs, and we were missing them a lot. Luckily we had Riley's sister Molly to keep us company. She was a riot in the snow, and made us wonder how Riley would be in the snow--not that we will ever know because apparently it doesn't snow in PA anymore.
As for the pups . . .we boarded them at this place that looks great, and the people seemed really nice. We visited twice and made the decision to board there even though it was pricey and about 40 minutes away. We signed them up for three half days of daycare each, and gave them the appropriate number of toys allowed. They would be boarded together, which we were happy about. We called once and checked on them and they said they were doing well. We picked them up and checked out. We realized we weren't charged for daycare, but just assumed they forgot to charge us. When we got home, we realized that none of their toys had been taken out of the bag, and I was really mad about this. Could it have been that they didn't go to daycare and also didn't have their toys? This was NOT a cheap place to board the dogs, and I am really upset thinking that they were in the kennel for 10 days with no toys and no opportunity to get out. Also, when we picked them up we were told that Addie had pooped in the kennel that morning and they needed to bathe them . . .we got there around 1pm and they were still pretty wet, and it was COLD. I don't know. I am really upset and want to call and ask them, but what do I say . . .I am SO not confrontational! I think we will look for another place to try the next time.
Riley starts training this week, and due to Addie's behavior and the fact that the class is not full, they are going to let us bring Addie back through as well for a refresher. Since the kennel, Addie has been acting out and growling and snapping at Riley for coming near her, or near any of the toys. They seem to be better today, but they weren't really like this before. We have to be better at walking them daily, and have decided that we will each be responsible for a pup a day to walk.
What else--more about my visit with my parents in another post. We went up there after we returned on 1/31 and spent new Years with them. As always it was a dramatic event . . .
Hope you all had a great holiday and Happy New Year.
First off, it was a very good vacation. We did a lot of traveling. Typically this would be a good thing, and in the past we have always booked on Midwest as we thought they had the larger and more comfortable seats around--oh, and you get a free chocolate chip cookie. Who can beat that. Well, seems as if Midwest has done some downsizing and now are only flying their smaller planes to WI--meaning smaller seats. This sucks people because I have a fat bottom. In fact, so does DP-->two fat bottoms in a small seat does not for a good flight make. We have come to accept this, and are working on reducing the largeness of our bottoms . . .but alas I digress. We get on the plane and find ourselves very, VERY close. Smushed to the point that we weren't going ANYWHERE should that plane have gone down. It was quite embarrassing really, and I am so glad I was traveling with DP and could be close to her. We vowed to not feel that way the next time we fly.
We were delayed getting out of Philly by about 3 hours, though we did get to see Santa at the airport and had our picture taken with him. We made it to Green Bay around 6pm which wasn't too bad. It was -5 degrees when we got there--COLD, but there was a ton of snow on the ground, and it snowed almost every other day while there.While there we enjoyed the company of DP's family, including her sister and her boyfriend who came over from MN. We had a good time on Christmas day, and watched a few movies while there-including my new favorite-Mama Mia! How fun is that movie. I voted to watch the sing along version, but was vehemently shot down.
The day after we celebrated my birthday by going shopping. Not my first choice of birthday activities, but it was tolerable and I even managed to find some goodies.
I got the best Birthmas present this year. I got an iPhone which I am in love with. I am struggling right now with finding that balance between wanting to be connected, and feeling TOO connected. It was lovely to be able to look something up the other day while DP was driving, and be able to click on a phone number from a website and have the phone call it. I have been slightly distressed about not having the calendar application I need, since a majority of the reason I got this thing was to reduce the amount of gadgets I carry. I am looking at how I can get Outlook. It is very expensive, and I thought I would see if maybe someone had it that I could use. We will see. Once that little bug is figured out I will feel settled with it. For now I will maintain my Palm. DP was very jealous of my phone and ended up buying one of her own last night with her Christmas earnings.
I received a lot of other great things, and I am continually amazed at how well DP's family knows me and gets me. Their gifts are generally spot on!
It was good to just hang out and lay low. We had to board the dogs, and we were missing them a lot. Luckily we had Riley's sister Molly to keep us company. She was a riot in the snow, and made us wonder how Riley would be in the snow--not that we will ever know because apparently it doesn't snow in PA anymore.As for the pups . . .we boarded them at this place that looks great, and the people seemed really nice. We visited twice and made the decision to board there even though it was pricey and about 40 minutes away. We signed them up for three half days of daycare each, and gave them the appropriate number of toys allowed. They would be boarded together, which we were happy about. We called once and checked on them and they said they were doing well. We picked them up and checked out. We realized we weren't charged for daycare, but just assumed they forgot to charge us. When we got home, we realized that none of their toys had been taken out of the bag, and I was really mad about this. Could it have been that they didn't go to daycare and also didn't have their toys? This was NOT a cheap place to board the dogs, and I am really upset thinking that they were in the kennel for 10 days with no toys and no opportunity to get out. Also, when we picked them up we were told that Addie had pooped in the kennel that morning and they needed to bathe them . . .we got there around 1pm and they were still pretty wet, and it was COLD. I don't know. I am really upset and want to call and ask them, but what do I say . . .I am SO not confrontational! I think we will look for another place to try the next time.
Riley starts training this week, and due to Addie's behavior and the fact that the class is not full, they are going to let us bring Addie back through as well for a refresher. Since the kennel, Addie has been acting out and growling and snapping at Riley for coming near her, or near any of the toys. They seem to be better today, but they weren't really like this before. We have to be better at walking them daily, and have decided that we will each be responsible for a pup a day to walk.
What else--more about my visit with my parents in another post. We went up there after we returned on 1/31 and spent new Years with them. As always it was a dramatic event . . .
Hope you all had a great holiday and Happy New Year.
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