Month: December 2010

I have a new addiction; it is the Smurfs game on the IPad. I cannot play it on my IPhone; it resets itself after I get to a certain level. So the Irishman set it up for me on his IPad, I think he regrets this as he is never going to be able to get that thing back.
So all of the presents have been opened, I think the Irishman’s girls liked their presents, they wrote me the sweetest thank you note. I promptly put it on the fridge were I can see it every day. I almost cried when I read it because it was the sweetest thing. I asked their dad if he had prompted it and he said no, they did it all on their own. So much sweeter now! Those girls are the sweetest things; I wish I could keep them all the time. Dress them up like Barbie dolls, play with their new easy bake oven with them, they are pretty, sweet, funny and smart little girls.
Tomorrow is our anniversary, 3 years since our first date, I don’t know what we are going to do, I left it up to the Irishman. So far I know he has a movie planned. I know he can’t top last year, I don’t expect him to in all honesty, I am not expecting spectacular, just fun.
Well a busy weekend is planned, I need rest for it, will be taking a nap when I get home as we are going to friends of his this evening. They want to show off their Keggerator. He is still not getting one!

Well the Christmas rush is over, I got all of the shopping done, I hope everyone loved what they received from us. On December 23rd Elizabeth and I shopped for 9 hours. Then after she left to go home, I had to go grocery shopping! I made the Irishman go with me; I was so tired I could barely stand up. He was great, he took his part of the list and helped me fill the basked then bring it all in the house and put it up. Then on the 24th he went out in search of one last thing I needed, he went to three different stores, he didn’t find it, but that’s ok, I was amazed he went then searched so hard for it! He rocks.
We went to Jeffrey and Elisabeth’s home for the big Christmas Eve celebration, this was the first time the Irishman has been able to join us. I hope he had a good time. We are all loud and boisterous and kinda whacky. The food was good, the company was great and the presents were opened and ooohed and aaaahed over.
One last Christmas celebration to come, his children will be coming to our home this week to open their presents from me. I hope they like them, I admit I went a little crazy with stuff for the girls. They are so much fun to buy for and so easy to buy for.
I am completely knackered, but looking forward to Friday, our 3rd anniversary together. I cannot believe it has been 3 years since our first date. It doesn’t seem that long, yet it seems like forever ago. I don’t know what we are doing yet. More than likely something low-key, as last year was so eventful, this year should be more relaxed.
Right now I am fighting congestion, I hate that, my sinuses swell and it hurts to wear my glasses, yet if I take them off I can’t see. Oh well, watcha gonna do. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and that your new year is terrific.

Last night the Irishman had his 1759 club meeting to discuss the merits of a flat tax. He invited me to go along with him. After about five minutes of discussing the topic at hand the subject turned to our wedding plans, when I said I didn’t even have a venue picked out yet, the boys went to work, after about an hour I believe they had the whole thing planned.
Then things turned ugly, very ugly folks, Richard began bragging about his recent purchase of a Kegerator, you would have thought the world stopped. The Irishman’s ears literally, physically perked up. He paid close attention, then nodded in agreement when Richard turned to me and announced it would be the perfect Christmas present from me to the Irishman. I was horrified, how did I suddenly get drug into this conversation! No, was the word that escaped my lips, emphatically No. I have to give Richard his due, he never gave up, and by the end of the night he was offering to send me links to make said purchase. Then he invited us over to view his Kegerator, we will be going next week.
I know what you are thinking, how can I be so selfish to not give the Irishman what he wants, well people, it is over $500.00 and we have a wedding to pay for, a trip to Ireland to save for, and a multitude of other expenses right now. To be honest I wouldn’t care if he had one, if it went somewhere other than the living room or the bedroom, both Richards’ suggestion.
In the interest of keeping everyone happy and by everyone I do mean Richard, I have cleaned, bleached and emptied the refrigerator in the garage. Until a Kegerator is feasible for us, he can fill it with as many libations as it can hold. Merry Christmas sweetheart.

Today is my Friday, I am way excited, I love Christmas, I have so much to do! A tree to decorate, presents to wrap, movies to watch, shopping to do, food to cook. So much to do, so little time! Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas? I love the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feeling in the air, everything.
We have our big family celebration on Christmas Eve, this year the Irishman will be joining us for the first time, we are all excited. It will be a lot of fun, tons of food, good company, Tessa, presents, lots of laughter. It is my most favorite day of the entire year.
I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas, filled with laughter and love, good food, warm homes, and amazing people to share it with.

The Christmas season is in full swing, I am almost done with my Christmas shopping, I am completely done purchasing for the Irishman, for Jeffrey and Tessa, just one more thing for Elisabeth, Elizabeth will help me with her items, I have some need some more, she will also help me with Freddy, Alex, one more thing, but I need him with me for that.
I have to admit I had a blast shopping for the Irishman’s girls, the things I found! I cannot wait to see if they like their new things. I promise this is like a disease, I cannot go anywhere without seeing something for someone I love! This has been a fun Christmas so far.
Yesterday I did what is becoming one of my favorite new traditions, shopping for our Christmas Eve feast with my daughter in law. Yesterday we added stores to our route, Target, Dots, Ulta, and then the Groceries. So much fun.
I wish my leg would stop hurting, I have pulled something in my left side, now the pain is radiating down my left leg. I have gone to the doctor, I have gotten muscle relaxers, which I hate taking as they make me all loopy and drunk feeling, and steroids. Those are not having a good effect on my stomach that is all I am saying. The pain is getting worse though. I may have to call her back if the pain doesn’t go away by Thursday. Also, no high heels for a week! What am I supposed to do with that? I don’t have enough outfits for no heels. Tomorrow the Irishman is having his 1759 club meeting, the last one of 2010, and he has invited me to go. What am I supposed to wear???? Huge dilemma. I don’t even know how to do anything without heels. I am also not supposed to be lifting things, but I think we all know how that is working out.
The good news is I don’t have kidney disease, which works out because I do not have time for dialysis, they would just have to give me a new kidney.

My nails are in terrible shape, I am thinking of getting the acrylics put back on, but they are a lot of upkeep. I am kinda lazy about that, so, difficult decision on whether or not to get them.
So yesterday the Irishman tells me I am never allowed to die, so I told him that the cost of all the plastic surgery to look good is on him, he better be prepared, I have a feeling it might take a lot to make a thousand year old woman look half way decent.
I am going to call the doctor today, my lower back still hurts like crazy and since I am now not allowed to die I had better go see what is going on. I looked up the symptoms on WebMD, major mistake; people should never look up anything there. You naturally go to the worst case scenario.
The good news on the doctor front is all of my blood work came back normal, amazingly normal. The being hot all of the time is gone; maybe it was nerves, due to the stress of the move and everything that is going on. Now that the move is done, my body has gone back to normal. Strange, but glad to have the heat thing gone.
I am so excited to have time off next week, I can’t wait to make cookies and wrap presents and just get Christmas started! I am also excited to go grocery shopping with my daughter in law to get all of the good things for our Christmas Eve celebration. I am sad the Irishman won’t be with us, he has to work that day.

This morning I was running a little late so I took advantage of living by the North Dallas Toll road. As I drove the length of the road I saw the signs, no stopping to pay the toll, you simply drive and they will bill you. Now mind you, I have had a toll tag for years, but somehow this made me sad. I wondered what happened to the toll booth workers, their jobs gone right before Christmas. Did the company find them other jobs or just hand them a pink slip? I am all for technology, but what price are we willing to pay for convenience?
That is the real question, as humans, what price are we willing to pay? Will my job become obsolete due to technology? What will I do after my job is gone? Something I think about more and more.
It is so hot here today, it is going to be 74 degrees, it is December, I don’t understand this weather, it should be snowing, or at the very least raining.
Next week is Christmas; I didn’t realize it was coming up so fast! I will be getting my tree this weekend, doing the Christmas food shopping with my daughter in law, a happening that is fast becoming tradition. Well I hope everyone has a great day, I really don’t have a lot today, two more days till Starbucks day!

The year is almost over; it is almost time to start thinking about what we want to change next year. I do not this is called our new years resolutions. We resolve to do things differently in the New Year, but the sad fact is that most of us continue to do the same things. Last year I made a list of things I was not going to give up or change about myself in the New Year, am very happy to report I kept that resolution.

This year however, I am going to go traditional, I am going to list the things I resolve to change or do better:

1.) I resolve to find a wedding dress.
2.) I resolve to be stick thin
3.) I resolve to give more shoes a good home
4.) I resolve to not allow people to run over me, oh wait I already do that, next…
5.) I resolve to read at least one self help book. I never do this, so it should be interesting.
6.) I resolve to never ever eat liver (I have to throw some easy ones in here)
7.) I resolve to go back to new shoe Wednesday and new Outfit Tuesday.
8.) I resolve to play more word games as this staves off Alzheimer’s.
I think 8 items are enough for me to work on; I don’t want to overwhelm myself.
I found the most amazing chips yesterday, well, the sales girl at the grocery store recommended them and I think I kinda love her now. They are Kettle Chips, Sweet Onion flavor. I didn’t think I would really like them but I tried one, then another, then another and then another. I will have to watch myself in the New Year or I will blow resolution number 2! Ok folks that is all I have for now, see y’all tomorrow!

Today is Monday, a Monday after having a one day weekend! Tons of coffee is called for, and trust me, I have partaken already. I am not complaining of my one day weekend, I appreciate my co-workers willingness to trade days with me so I could have four full days to move and get situated without having to take precious vacation time. I am just tired now, I think I finally got the living room done, ready for all of the Christmas decorations I have some up now, will be getting the tree this weekend. I always wait until later due to it being a real tree. If I put up a fake tree it would already be up!
Tessa was with me Saturday night and Sunday morning and afternoon, what fun we had, she was my big helper! She helped me unpack boxes and move them to the garage, and helped me arrange Christmas decorations in the living room; she played with all of the beanie babies we found during the move. She helped by taking said beanie babies home with her!
I will be working on the master bedroom next, that is my goal at least, and curtains will be going up today. Have to go to the store and get new curtain rods, the ones I have are not long enough! Wish me luck!

I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming home

This is my new favorite song, actually this part of it is my favorite, I want it at my funeral. I’m not strange, I promise, I’m not dying, it is a hobby in my family, planning our funeral. My grandmother did it, my mother did it, everyone, I grew up with that. It is a natural thing for me to do so, the reason this song appeals to me so much is because all my life I heard dying referred to as going home. I know without a doubt when my mom passed she was joyously singing “I’m coming home, open the gates!”
I honestly don’t know how people in this world go through the trials and tribulations without believing in a higher power. I firmly believe that God has been with me every step of my life. Especially after becoming a single parent so shockingly abruptly, I never talk about it, how hard it was. Financially, emotionally, physically, all aspects of it were not easy; however, I would not go back and change things. And I am going to say right here without God in my life, by my side, there is no way we would have made it through.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, the God does not make bad things happen in our lives but He does use them to teach us things. Lessons if you will, what lesson did I learn you ask. Well I learned to manage money; I learned that I was stronger than I thought I was; I learned I have friends like Jan and Sandi, without whom I would have gone insane; I learned that you can face almost anything if you have a sense of humor about it.
I also believe that timing is the key in life, take for example my job at the major telecommunications giant, when I got my first job in the phone company I was working two jobs and going to school full time along with raising my children. I was bringing home $150.00 a week. That is not a typo. Ends were not even close to meeting, it was getting more and more difficult. One day I broke down to a friend, who was shocked, she had no idea as I never talked about things like that. She asked if I wanted to work for the company she worked for. I said yes. No hesitation. Turns out her best friend was a manager in HR, she made a call, brought the application to my home. Waited while I filled it out, then she took it back. I got a call the next day telling me to come in and test. The only job they had open was clerical the manager told me. She asked about my typing speed, well thanks to Mrs. Breedlove in Owasso, I can type 95 words a minute, I proved that, then I passed the word perfect test, and the other tests they had. She offered me the job. I went from bringing home $150.00 a week to $300.00 a week. I am not ashamed to say that I went home and immediately went to my knees and thanked God. When I say this job saved my family I am not exaggerating. To this day I continue to thank God for not only the money this job brought to my family, but the friendships, I have this job to thank for having a friend like Jess in my life, I also have this job to thank for my future husband. So when you hear me say I love my job, please know there is no sarcasm there, I will be grateful to the day I go home that this job came into my life when it did. Timing is everything; remember that when you are going through whatever trials you are having in your life.