Christmas Eve

Well - it's actually Christmas morning already but I haven't gone to sleep yet.  It wouldn't be Christmas Eve if I wasn't up late putting finishing touches on gifts and getting everything wrapped!  Everyone is all snuggled in their rooms and all is quiet.  Chrissy is sound asleep in her crate - I am watching A Christmas Story for the second time already!  I love the 24 Hour Marathon of this movie.  I remember seeing this in the theaters back in 1983 when it first came out.

We did stuff today but I am actually very tired so I will write about it all tomorrow.


Merry Christmas Everyone!

De

Chrissy

Chrissy The Blonde Puppy

(Sung to the tune of Rudolph)

Chrissy the blonde puppy

Was a very hyper one

And if you ever saw her

You might even say she’s fun

All of the other puppies

Ran when she wanted to play

They growled and barked at poor Chrissy

Telling her to go away

Then one day they went outside

To run and jump around

Chrissy with your legs so tall

Go make friends and patrol the wall

Then the puppies loved her

As they barked and played with toys

Chrissy the blonde puppy

Now joins in and makes lots of noise

De

Football Sunday

Football Sunday - those two words bring to mind relaxation - watching a couple games - maybe taking a nap - quietly rooting for your home team!  Not if you're having Football Sunday at the Musielak House!  Anybody have a pair of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones I can borrow before next Sunday!

No - I am not over reacting.  This is actually Football Ticket Sunday - every game that is going on is on TV and there is lots of switching from game to game to see what is going on - following the games, fantasy, and how they're doing in the Pick 'em pool.  When they see a play scroll across the bottom of the TV screen or a notification pop up on their computer then it's switch to that game to watch the play. 

T is in the Championship Game of Fantasy Football today - his players weren't doing well or they weren't getting any plays at the beginning so there was a lot of swearing and loud "I've Lost" "Dammit" - when we would tell him there was still enough time he grumpily said "No there isn't - I've lost"  Guess what - yup - his QB Vick came back in the 4th Qtr to score 64 points!  He is leading right now and watching Jim's final player yelling at the TV for the team to either run the ball or not to throw it to Roddy White!

Now - I had heard tales of K being louder than C and as bad as her Dad T but I didn't believe them - there is no way anyone could be like that - boy was I wrong!!  I have never heard anyone yell at the TV so loud and so much!  She was a bit vocal during the early games but once the Seahawks Game came on a different K - the Seahawks Fanatic - came out!  There were constant comments to the TV - yelling at the Seahawks - calling players Dumb Asses - Telling the defense they are worthless - now mind you I agree with most of what she is saying!

So if you are ever planning on spending Football Sunday with the Musielak Family be aware of what you're getting yourself in to and come prepared!

De

Grimaldi's

No . . . . . this isn't the name of some new WOW Character or a wizard from Harry Potter - this is the name of the pizza place we had dinner at tonight!  Really Good pizza we had for dinner!  This place is very popular on a Saturday night - we had an hour and fifteen minute wait to get a table - by the time we were being seated they were telling new people coming in that it was a two and a half hour wait!! 

While we were waiting we decided to walk around - this is at an outdoor mall - Watters Creek - so there were shops we could go in to - well - except for the one we really wanted to go in to - Chloe's Treasures - this is a unique pet boutique that was supposed to be open until 9 but the doors were locked up tight at 6.  Very sad - and they could have made a lot of sales because there were 3 puppy owners ready to get cute things!

For dinner we had Caesar Salad - which is served family style - and was delicious!  We demolished it!  Then C, T, and I shared a Pepperoni and Kalamata Olive pizza - yummy! No pineapple on the menu here.  I am completely stuffed. 

Tomorrow is Football Sunday and I might do some baking - need to go to the grocery store and pick up a few items.

De

Texas Weekend

Second full day in Texas!  Yesterday was errands - lunch - movie.  We went to Sam's Club - Walmart - Albertson's.  Then we met K at Five Guys for lunch.  This is a really good hamburger place.  I tried In-N-Out Burger for the first time in October and it was OK - this place was really really good - I would go here over In-N-Out any day.  After lunch it was off to the movies.  C and I went and saw Black Swan . . . different kind of movie . . . . Natalie Portman did a fantastic job she definitely deserves to be nominated for an Oscar - not so sure whether the movie does or not - it was kinda weird - a bit artsy - which is probably why it will get nominated.

Chrissy is not making many friends!  Her and Lexi got in to it this morning - Lexi had had just about enough of her and turned on her with a snarl-snap-and a growl!  She's not getting the hint though - she went right back and tried to play with her!  Bailey even got upset with her this morning too.  T compared her to Rudolph!  No one will let her play any of the puppy games!  Kara likes her - but they start chasing each other around the living room and get in trouble so they are relegated outside.  Chrissy is not a big fan of the outside - which surprises me because back home she is always trying to get outside and here she has a whole backyard to run around in.

Right now we are watching The Ironman on TV that was done back in October and K is in the kitchen making Cake Balls - something new that I am going to have to try when I get home!

De

Greetings from Texas!

I made it down here safe and sound.  I always thought that if you traveled on an off day things would move quicker at the airport - Nope - took me 45 minutes just to check in with my bag.  I wasn't able to do the self check-in because of Chrissy so I had to get in the Full Service Line - there weren't very many people but then again - there was only one agent working the counter!  Also - this same agent was checking in the First Class Passengers also so every time one of them got in line they got to bypass everyone else!  So unfair!  I finally got everything checked in and then it was off to security - I was a little nervous because they are using the new scanner machines now and if you don't do that then you have a full body pat down - Chrissy saved the day though!!  Because I was traveling with her I was able to go through the old metal detectors!  I guess the new scanners require you to stand with your arms out from your body and I couldn't do that and hold Chrissy at the same time!  Thank You Miss Chrissy!

Miss Chrissy traveled very well - she was quiet on the plane and she stayed sitting in the bag on the drive from the airport to C's House.  She was very excited to see all of the puppies!  It took a few minutes but finally Miss Kara warmed up to her and they started chasing each other around the living room - I am sure the other dogs will warm up to her over the next few days.  Miss Chrissy broke the ice by pooping on the rug!  Stupid dog!  Hopefully she will learn form the other pups that you need to do that outside!  Right now she is back in her travel bag up on the bed next to me going to sleep.  She wasn't thrilled about getting back in it but she has settled down and hopefully will sleep through the night.

OK - Funny plane passenger story!  The gal sitting in the window seat in my row was a first time flier - probably in her mid 20s.  She was pretty quiet the during the ride - towards the end of the flight she was looking through the Sky Mall Magazine.  She pressed the Flight Attendant call button - he came to our row - she held up the magazine pointing to a picture of a necklace and said "I'd like to buy this!"  The attendant said "We don't carry that stuff on the plane" and turned around quickly heading back to the galley! 

We got in a few minutes late and the attendants asked over the PA System for everyone to stay in their seats and to let the people go first who needed to catch a connecting flight as a those people didn't have much time to get to their next gate.  Question:  Why don't people listen to this and do what is asked?  It's not going to make them lose that much time and they still have to wait for their baggage.  People in the front just stood in the aisles blocking the way.  Thing that made me go Hmmmm . . . .really . . . .was the gentleman in the seats in front of me who stood blocking the aisle while texting on his phone was wearing a shirt with an insignia from the group Promise Keepers - Men With Integrity . . .really . . .not showing much integrity right there.

OK - time for sleep - I need to get on Texas time.

De




 

Rest

Ahhhh . . . . . . . that my dears is a sigh of relaxation!  I have had a very restful weekend.

Yesterday I took care of running some Chrissy errands to get her ready for our trip to TX - vet's for a shot and to get her health certificate then to the groomers for a hair cut.  I took her to Petco as usual but she had a different groomer this time.  I don't think this gal had much patience - I don't think she even tried to comb out Chrissy's fur - just went straight to the clippers and shaved her short.  She really scalped her - shaved her uneven - and now the poor thing is very cold.  Luckily her fur does tend to grow back fast and next time I think I may try a grooming service that comes by your house in a van and does all the grooming right there. 

Besides Chrissy errands I had to go get emissions testing done on my car - I thought it might take a while but I just drove up - had the test done - and was on my way.  My plan was to then come home and do chores but I felt like playing instead.  L had the day off from work so I gave her a call and we went bowling!  We hadn't bowled together for awhile - we had fun!  L won all 3 games but it was still fun.  She then came home with me - I needed her help - I was stuck on a computer game and I needed her to get me past this one puzzle!  She was able to do it - Yay!!!  Now I can finish my game! 

Today I received my calling at Sacrament Meeting - I am now a member of the Relief Society Activity Committee - perfect fit for me - I like planning activities.   After church I came home and have been doing some baking and getting caught up on Fringe - by caught up I mean watching this whole season so far in one night!  It's very good!  If you have never watched it you really must!

Three days of work this week then it's off to Texas.  :-)

De

Good Morning

Yes - I am really up this early.  In fact - not just up but ready to head out the door.  I am just waiting for Chrissy to run off some energy because it is going to be a late night tonight - Day 1 of Payroll!  Yeah - I now have 3 Day 1's in a month - 2 Payroll and 1 Month End.  This time around lets hope it doesn't snow!  I would like to be able to get most of this done on Day 1. 

Brother Bennett and his wife came by last night - to start my New Member lessons.  It was really nice.  Brother Bennett is so knowledgeable on so many things. I like listening to him speak.  His wife was nice too - she completely understands being overwhelmed with everything - the people, the suddenly not having Sunday to yourself, trying to remember names, getting your first calling.  Yup - I am meeting with Brother Lyman before church on Sunday to get my first calling - I am hoping for something like working with the little kids or being on the activity committee but we shall see.  I keep telling myself that I won't be given more than I can handle.

Had a "little" disagreement with L last night - she was being rather selfish.  I tested her yesterday to find out when would be a good time to do Christmas before I leave for TX.  She called and said that last night was the only night both her and E had off together so let's do it then.  I said I couldn't because I had people coming over and she said I should cancel - that if it was her she would cancel plans if that was the only night she could do Christmas with her daughter.  I told her it wasn't the only night and started giving her options - none of those were good enough.  I also was leaving work early last night so I could pick her up to take her to get her paycheck and to go cash it.  She got in the car and said the E was mad that we weren't doing dinner last night and might have to do it without him.  Yeah - not sad but mad!  This just kinda set me off and then she said - what kind of people are you having over.  She is rather upset that I am getting a life and not going to be her beck and call girl anymore. 

So question - If you had plans with people - who you had already had to change once before because of snow - would you have called them last minute and canceled just to do dinner with L and E - remember, there are going to be other opportunities to do Christmas and we could always do it after I get back from TX. 

OK - time to head on out to work.

De

Home By 6

Tonight was the first night since Thanksgiving that I was home by 6:00 . . . . . of course I got to work at 630 this morning.  still - it was a nice feeling to have some time in the house before bedtime!  I got some things straightened up around the house - ran the dishwasher in preperation for a whole lot of baking coming up.

I know I keep saying how Chrissy cracks me up - but really - you have got to picture this very cute small dog with a sock stuffed in her mouth running around trying to find the perfect spot to "hide" it.  Tonight she has run back and forth down the hall - to the front door - up on the couch - a chair - looked at her toy box - she has been doing this for 5 minutes now and has yet to find her spot!  OK - sock has been put down and she wasn't out here in the living room - I am thinking I will find it in my bed when I go to sleep!

So I have been having some little nagging doubts about my decision to be Mormon - I think it's because I have been overwhelmed by everything I still need to learn and my head is getting so full of information - and honestly - I'm not used to seeing the same group of people every weekend.  So anyway - I have been talking to God and letting him know my struggles.  Tonight when I got home form work there was a small gift and an envelope leaning against my door.  It was some Peppermint smelling soap (I love the smell of peppermint), an ornament that says Faith, and a Christmas card with a hand written note inside from one of my ward sisters.  It said - 

Dear D -

I am so glad you are a member of our ward and I look forward to 

getting to know you better and hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Love M

Exactly what I needed today.  God is amazing - miracles and signs don't have to be grand gestures with bright lights - they can be something as small and simple as a note letting you know that someone was thinking about you.  

De

PS - Chrissy just killed our Christmas Teddy Bear!!

 

Pretty Lights

Friday I had dinner with Jason and his family - needed to pick up the candles I had ordered at Angie's party. So instead of making Jason carry it all on the bus and bring it up to me I just picked him up from his office and drove him home to pick everything up.  Angie made her homemade pizzas - Love Them!  I really like the crust - she even made an apple dessert pizza.  Lots of the houses in Jason's neighborhood had their lights on their houses.  When I was leaving Jason told me about a house that was up around the corner from his - I decided to make a quick detour just to see if I could see it.  It was amazing!  They have a sign in their front yard telling you what station to turn your radio too and then magically the music coming from your speakers goes with the flashing lights on the house.

Pretty!

Party - Work - Socks

Whew . . . . another late night . . . . . . . not because of work this time it was because of my first Relief Society Activity - Christmas Dinner.  There were a lot of ladies there!  It was a bit overwhelming but I had fun.  Everyone was very nice - a lot of names to try and remember.  I'm sure that after I have been in the ward longer I will get to know more people.  They all joked around with each other and laughed - I look forward to having that too.

Poor Chrissy was in the kitchen for quite awhile today so I am up late letting her run around for a bit before I put her in her crate - it will probably be another late night tomorrow because of Month End and then Friday will be late because I am going down to the hood - that's Kent - to have dinner with Jason and Ang.  Next week I will get a couple days to try and take a deep breath and get things organized again on my desk - then it's back to payroll Thursday and Friday.

I just keep reminding myself that I will be on vacation in 2 weeks!!  Texas here we come - Chrissy gets to go back to her home state!  She is so going to love having all those pups to play with and having a backyard.  It will definitely be different form last year when it was Muppet coming down to visit.

Hahahahahaha - I just found 4 socks buried behind a pillow and three buried in the cushions on the couch!  And I just saw her run back down the hall with another sock in her mouth!  Last night I found 3 socks and a chew stick buried under the covers on my bed!  She just cracks me up!

De

A New Day

Let's try this again - that's what I said to myself as I approached the parking garage tonight and saw that the homeless man was in his usual spot - He asked for spare change and I politely told him I didn't have any  - he responded with . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Happy Holidays!  Guess maybe we were both just having bad days yesterday.

Tomorrow I have a Christmas Potluck to go to with my Issaquah 3rd Ward sisters.  I signed up to bring tarts - of course I signed up before my mojo took a holiday.  I was going to try the apple tarts again but then I said to myself - Self, why do something that's going to stress you out - make something that you feel comfortable baking.  So I listened to that voice and I made mini pumpkin pie tarts . . . . . and . . . . . .Success!  They turned out good, filling cooked all the way through, nothing bubbled and/or melted over the edges, the crust cooked all the way through!  I am a happy baker tonight!

We are doing a gift exchange too - you are supposed to bring something that is your favorite or represents you - $5 limit.  I couldn't think of anything at first to get and then I thought - you don't have to spend $5 - I have a lot of beads around the house - so I made a bracelet.  I hope the person I get likes it.

De

PTSD

Post Turkey Stuffing Disorder!

This is what happens after a 4 day weekend filled with a wonderful turkey dinner and lots of turkey leftovers!  Symptoms are gobbling, waddling, crankiness, and the voices in your head getting a little louder that people around you can hear them!

I have all of these symptoms - yes including the last one!!  How do I know this?!?!  Because I am sure that there is no way that I would talk back to a homeless person who is swearing and looks a little off balance.  There is a homeless man that has taken to parking is butt on the sidewalk right outside the entrance to where I have to pay for parking and ride the elevator to my car.  He has been there for the last few weeks - I have said no a few times and he gets a little snippy so lately I have just been walking right on by trying to ignore him.  Tonight as I passed by he piped up with "How F*?#@ng hard is it to just say F*?#@ng No.  Is it so F*?#@ng hard!"  The voices in my head answered back with "Maybe people don't say anything because you talk to them like that!"  Now, I know the voices must have been really loud because he answered back with a delightful string of "Shut the F*&# Up.  I wasn't talkin' to you Fat Ass.  Just shut your F*?#@ng Fat Ass.  You are such a Fat Ass."  I could hear him still jabbering away even with the door closed to the elevator room.  The voice in my head suddenly said Dumb Ass!!  I know that one was loud because it echoed!  Dang!  With everything that has happened in Seattle lately with crazy homeless people I need to keep those voices just a bit quieter. 

De

4 Day Vacation!

The Thanksgiving Four Day Weekend is coming to an end - sad sad sad.  I had such a good four days.

Thanksgiving Day was a little rushed in the morning - the desserts I had made the night before didn't really turn out how I wanted them too so I got up and tried again.  I had the ingredients for my Pumpkin Marble Bundt Cake and my Apple Tarts.  The cake actually turned out really well - the apple tarts, not so much.  I think I may have put too much butter in the crumble topping because they just kind of melted all over the place.  I left the house a bit later than I had planned on with all of the attempts at baking - got on the road to get L about 1230.  Had a really nice drive up to La Connor - L was chatty, the freeway wasn't snowy, there was no traffic.  Got to Mom and Dads at a decent time - walked in and the house smelled like turkey . . . yummmmmm!  Dinner was really good - all the favorites - turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries . . . . . . so so good!!  What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods?

Friday and Saturday were pretty much "slug" days - I did absolutely nothing!  Didn't go Black Friday shopping - just hung around the house catching up on some much needed sleep.  Today I started cleaning out my closet - lots of boxes and bags of paper that just need to be shredded and tossed.  I also did some Christmas Shopping online - ran some loads of laundry - cleaned the kitchen.  Now I am trying to get back into work mode - Month End starts again tomorrow.  I need to get lots done on Monday and Tuesday because I have a Relief Society Xmas Dinner Wednesday at 630 that I really want to go to. 

Miss Chrissy wasn't feeling very good today - silly pup got into my cereal milk yesterday - - let's just say that dairy is not her friend.  She is sleeping right next to me on the couch right now while I write.  She looks so comfy - I think it means that it's time to head in to bed.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Have a great week.

De

Snowmageddon

Well this has been a very interesting week and it is only Tuesday night!! 

Why is it that Seattle and surrounding areas are never prepared for when it snows - not like it never snows here - and they knew this storm was coming, the City of Seattle decided yesterday morning that their schools were going to be let out early to try and get the kids home before the real snow hit.  But once again they were caught with their pants down and people were stuck everywhere. 

Here is how my Monday went -

• Got up early to head out and catch a bus at 630.  It was Day 1 of Payroll and I wanted to make sure I got in early so I could get a jump on everything.  The news was talking about snow and schools being late or closed.  I looked outside and there was no snow up here.
•  Got to my PR and there was a HUGE LONG line of people!  A small metro bus pulled up - not our usual accordion bus - the driver said they were on snow schedule and that this was just the shuttle down to the Transit Center and we would have to catch a bus from there into Seattle.  I thought at that time - Wow - they are really getting a jump on things and planning ahead of time. This should be better than a couple years ago.
• Got to work about 830 - bus ride was slow because they had on chains.  Got started on Payroll - I could hear everyone giving snow reports - I tried not to stress out.  A few people headed out around noon.  I stayed until just about 4 -  most everything I needed to get done for Day 1 - I headed out to catch the 554.
• Got to 2nd and Pine and waited for about 15 minutes for the bus.  When it got there - the bus driver announced that he would not be going up to the Highlands - we would have to catch a shuttle at the Transit Center.
• It was a very slow trip to Issaquah - got dropped off at the Transit Center at 4:45.  The wind was blowing - it was snowing - I was not dressed close to as warm as I needed to be - there were about 50 of us waiting for a shuttle to show up.  We waited there for an hour before one showed up.  I literally was 5 minutes away from deciding that Chrissy was going to have to fend for herself in the kitchen because I was going to go see if I could get a room at the Hilton Garden Inn across the way. 
• The trip up to the Highlands - normally a 5 - 10 minute drive - took an hour!!  I was starting to get very nervous about how I was going to get from the PR to home.  I was not looking forward to the possibility of having to walk the 3 miles in the snow.  I decided to just try it and see how close I could get to home.  I said a prayer - started the car - and headed out at a slow and steady pace.  Repeating over and over - Get Me Home Safe.  It went pretty well until I got to the front entrance to Klahanie - the cars that had gone on ahead of me had drivers that must not have ever driven in snow before!!  They were all following too close to each other up the small hills at the entrance - when the first car slowed down a bit the ones behind put on their brakes, slid, and weren't able to start back up the hill.  There weren't any cars exiting so me and a few others turned up that side of the road - we went one at a time - slow and stead - had not problems!  I made it home in one piece!  Yay Me!  Yay Ford Focus! 

 Day 1 of Snow came to an end!  Day 2 went pretty well - I think the few people at work that came in were surprised that I made it in.  The road to the PR this morning was actually not that bad - the longest part was the waiting for buses and the actual bus rides.  Got to work - submitted payroll by the 530 deadline - everyone should get paid on payday!  Headed on home - buses were still not running on regular schedules so I ended up waiting for just about 45 minutes for a bus out of Seattle and then 30 minutes for a bus up to the Highlands.  I am not sitting in my comfy chair right in front of the fireplace thawing out my toes! 

I think I've had enough of the snow - although - it was rather beautiful on the way through Klahanie this evening - the trees were white, it was very quiet, the moon was bright and just about full!  Awesome!

De

Relax - Cupcakes - Decorations

Relaxed . . . . . . . . that's what I feel tonight . . . . . . . I think I've gotten a handle on everything that needs to be done at work.  Now I am baking two different kinds of cupcakes for tomorrow's contest . . . . I think it's a good thing I am going to compete in the prettiest category!  I think I filled the cupcake liners a little too full - they didn't stay all puffed up and pretty - they kinda went a little flat.  I made a dozen mini cupcakes in each flavor too - bite size for the judges! - they look a little flat too.  Hopefully once I put the frosting on them they will look better.  I got some Mint M&Ms to put on top of the Chocolate Mint Cupcakes.  Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . . . . . . Not even Thanksgiving yet and there a Christmas Trees up and lights in the trees.  It's like Thanksgiving isn't even a holiday anymore - it's just a day where go through the Black Friday Ads planning your your strategy to get all the best deals.  The dinner - just a way to really fuel up and give yourself sustenance for the long day ahead of you.  I remember when stores didn't put up any decorations until the day after Thanksgiving.  My sister worked at Lamonts one year and had to go in Thanksgiving night to help decorate the store. 

Now - don't get me wrong - I like the decorations - the lights in Seattle are really really pretty - but by the time Christmas comes around I have had enough of it all.  Warm 106.9 has even started their all Christmas Songs All Day programming - they used to not start this until the day after Thanksgiving and this year they started it on Nov 1st. 

I just miss October Halloween - November Thanksgiving - December Christmas.  This country has become so fixated on the almighty dollar and trying to make money - get deals - spend - spend - spend! 

What do you think . . . . .

Breathing Easier

Ahhh . . . . much better today.  I got to work a bit before 700 and was able to knock out 2 hours of work with no interruptions - I had forgotten how nice it is to get to the office before everyone else -I can get so much accomplished.  Thank goodness too because my top lip hurts from all the chewing yesterday! 

Monday I baked 3 types of cupcakes and brought them in to work for taste testing - Chocolate/Orange, Chocolate Mint, and Turtle Fudge . . . The Chocolate/Orange was the least favorite, the orange flavor wasn't strong enough - Chocolate Mint and Turtle Fudge tied so I am thinking I might just make them both and enter them both into the contest.  Depends on what time I get home tomorrow and how much energy I have.  You know me though - love to bake so I am sure I will have more than enough energy to do both.

My luck for picking winning teams is so not with me this year - Fantasy Team is in last place and I am the only owner who has no chance what so ever to make it in to the playoffs - My pick to win Survivor was voted off last week - The team I picked for Amazing Race was eliminated from the race on Sunday - if you're a team and you want to win - better check with me first to see if I've chosen you to win anything.

Miss Chrissy is being so cute right now - she is sacked out on the arm of the couch - I am going to try and move stealthily so I can grab my phone and take a picture - Shhhh . . . . . Stretch . . . . Oops, she moved - picked her head up - hold still and maybe she's lay back down. Got It!!  Let me email it to myself and then I'll post it here.

 

Isn't She So Cute!!

OK - Time for bed so I can get an early start again tomorrow - Company meeting in the morning so I will lose about an hour and a half of work time.

De

Breathing Lessons

Breathe In  . . . . Breathe Out . . . . Repeat . . . . . .

Stress!!  I am so stressed just thinking about everything that needs to be done in the next week that I gave myself heartburn today.  Gotta get all of my AP stuff done this week because Monday and Tuesday next week will be all payroll . . . . then next Wednesday I need to get any AP received on Mon and Tues entered so I can cut checks and get them out before Thanksgiving . . . . . and oh yeah . . . . . . Month End starts up right after Thanksgiving too . . . .

Breathe In . . Breathe Out . . Breathe In . . Breathe Out . . . . Don't Hyperventilate!!

Whenever I think about it I start to panic that I'm not going to get everything done . . . . then I get snappy and frustrated . . . . . then the heartburn hits!  The urge to scream comes in to my head . . . . I've started an annoying habit of chewing on my top lip!

Breathe In . Breathe Out . Breathe In . Breathe Out . . . . . . Don't Pass Out!

Dear Lord - Give me strength . . . patience . . . . calming thoughts . . . . . to help me make it through this next month.

Yes - Month - because as soon as we close out November I am going to have another payroll to process and I need to make sure my desk is covered when I go on vacation . . . . . .Ahhhhhhh . . . . stress!!!!!

BREATHE!!!!!!!

De

Day Off :-)

This has been a great day . . . slept in until 830 . . . . did some chores . . . . . cleaned out a few boxes of junk . . . . . baked some cupcakes - There is a cupcake contest at work on Friday and I am planning on entering for best tasting so I tried out 3 different flavors today - Chocolate/Orange . . . Mint Chocolate . . . Turtle Fudge.  I'm going to bring them in to work tomorrow and have the department taste test them and let me know what they think. 

Miss Chrissy is feeling a bit better I think . . . She was sick early Sunday morning and then Sunday evening . . . Coming out one end and then the other . . not sure if she got into something in the house or if it is from eating too many "helicopters" when she's outside.  Right now she is laying on the couch next to me on my feet!  I think she tired herself out chasing leaves on our walk this afternoon! She was very funny to watch! She would run after the leaf - grab it - then drop it and run after the next one!  It is very windy here today so she had a lot of leaves to chase.

Elders Tinge and Rodriguez are coming by tonight - I am going to have them try some cupcakes before our New Members lesson.  Oh - did I mention how friendly everyone in my ward is!  Two different families have asked me what I am doing for Thanksgiving to make sure I have somewhere to go.  That is just so very nice!

OK- Miss Chris is running around trying to hide another one of my socks - gotta go grab it.

De

Good Morning!

Happy Saturday!  Happy 3-Day Weekend to me - Yay! 

I got up at 800 this morning - due to the fact that Chrissy was crying in her crate - and decided to take her out for more than just a quick potty walk - we walked down and around to Beaver Lake Middle School and then back on a trail that brought us to the neighborhood across the street from where we started.  I think Chrissy walked twice the distance though because she kept running ahead then back to me and then ahead again!  I figured she deserved a longer walk because she had been locked up in the kitchen for so long these past 2 weeks and especially last night - I didn't get home until 1100 and she had gone into the kitchen at 700 Friday morning - 16 Hours - poor girl!  So she got to run and play - and hopefully it'll tucker her out  bit so I can get some chore done - more specifically, fold my laundry without having to chase after her to get my socks and underwear back!

I had a lot of fun last night at J and A's house - A made a really good baked Italian dish for dinner.  The Party Lite party was a lot of fun - it had been a while since I'd been to one. They have some really cool new products - Fragrance Melts were my favorite - I ordered a Snowman (the blue one named Icy) that plugs in and you put the melts in his hat - the light heats up the melt and the fragrance fills the air - I ordered peppermint bark scent. After I placed my order and chatted a bit I went downstairs to see J and the boys - J and I talked for almost an hour - I miss the talks we would have at work so it was nice to just be able to hang out. 

I think our walk is finally tuckering out Miss Chris - she is fluffing the pillows on the couch and  trying to get comfortable for a nap.  Might be time for me to eat some breakfast and then get started on the laundry.

De

Connection Issues

So – I moved my Cable Internet box and the wireless box into my room – connected it all back together hoping this would solve some of my connectivity issues. Can someone please explain to my why/how it is that I can connect to the Internet via wireless when I am out in the living room – but still can’t connect in my bedroom even though I moved everything in there!! Come On!! Ridiculous!


That is the reason, though, why nothing was posted last night. It was getting a bit chilly out in the living room and so I moved to the bedroom to crawl under the warm blankets – figured I would write my post there . . . . . but Nooooo – the stupid Mac wouldn’t connect to the Internet!! Very frustrating.

OK – that was the rant part – now on to what I was going to write about last night!

Teddy Bear Insides!

I got home at a decent hour – 530 - Only because I had an appointment in Issaquah at 430 – otherwise I am sure I would have ended up staying late again. It was nice to be home at that time – Chrissy was thrilled to see me, I had an opportunity to do some quick picking up in the living room – it was a Crime Scene after all – what crime you ask . . . . . The Great Teddy Bear Massacre!! Yeah – Miss Chris got a hold of a Christmas Teddy Bear and proceeded to rip the stuffing out of it! There were Teddy Bear insides all over the rug. I picked everything up because two ladies from my Ward were coming over to welcome me to the church. I was a little nervous but once they were there it was all very comfortable – they were so nice – I got a dish towel and a welcome packet with some information and a great packet of quick and easy meals – I will post some of the recipes as I try them. They looked pretty good. I am always amazed at how welcoming everyone has been – I just have never experienced that before – I don’t make new friends very easily because I’m kinda shy and it takes awhile for me to open up but everyone has been so nice and I just feel so calm and at ease when I am with people from the church. I find myself looking forward to church!

This weekend is a 3-Day weekend for me! I am taking Monday off for a much needed day of rest. Tonight I am off to J’s House for dinner and A – his wife – is having a Party Lites party! J will be in the car with me for at least 30 min driving to his house so I can talk his ear off about things – it will be a captive listener!! Has to make up for two weeks of not getting to talk things over with him.

I will try to post tonight – All depends on that stupid wireless – can’t connect to my computer that is less than 6 feet away – just crazy!


De

Another Long Day

I made it through my first payroll processing - I think it went OK, I stayed late last night, got in very early this morning, spent a couple hours trying to find the $.03 I was off by!!  Finally found it and got it all fixed - The real test will be payday!! 

I drove today.  The parking garage has early bird pricing of $12 - the only limitations are you must enter by 930 and can only stay 11 hours - No problem right . . . . . wrong . . . . . I got there before 930 - in fact i got there at 645 - what I didn't do was leave within 11 hours . . . . . . missed by 15 min - so instead of $12 it cost me $26!!!

Tomorrow it's back to doing AP - what I do best!!  No staying late though - Lisa appt tomorrow!

De

Wow . . . . . . That's About All I Can Say

Just when I thought I had heard the end of this things come back full force.  Weeks ago I wrote about how someone form my high school days had come unglued when they saw I was going to join the Mormon Church.  He left a post on the Joyful Noise Group on FaceBook - no one really joined in with him in berating me for my decision.  A few days ago I finally responded to what he posted.  Then today on my bus ride home I opened up my email . . . I hadn't had a chance to look at it all day due to working on Payroll which is a whole nother post . . . .anyways - I opened my email and there had been a firestorm of comments to the post.  I was going to copy the whole string and paste it here but when I got home and went out to the Joyful Noise Group the owner of the group had removed the whole string.  So I am going to try and do some cut and paste form my email and see if I can get it all on here.  Again - you will notice - that Kevin is the only one who has anything horrible to say.

Original Post

Kevin 11:11pm Oct 19 Folks. we're losing one of our own. D  has lost her faith and has turned to the Mormon church. If you have a few moments to drop her a note and let her know that we're here... I don't know. I just hate to see folks lost like that. Comment History J  3:34pm Nov 9 When joining the facebook group for Joyful Noise was first suggested to me, I was interested in seeing what some of you have been up to over the years (for those of whom I haven't become official fb friends of). And, I still am. De 8:11pm Nov 7 I don't think I am "straying" - I have found a church that has accepted me and makes me feel like family. I am sorry that some people think of this as a bad thing and feel like I have lost my faith. I feel like I have gained more faith with this decision and am very happy. P 6:38pm Nov 7 Wow! Really talking about "straying" like this? J 5:45pm Oct 24 ♥ ....we need to remember to reach out to each other and pray for each other ♥ J 5:35pm Oct 24 Let's all try to remember this...we all fall short and stray in our own ways...we're human. The WoNdErFuL blessing of a life with Christ as our Savior is, HE loves us all ♥ and will NeVeR leave us.

Previous comments have been removed along with the post.  Here are the ones that were posted today:

J	4:38pm Nov 9

uggg....to continue :-/ I was quite shocked by what I would consider to be a VeRy inappropriate posting by Kevin. I am deeply saddened and have felt a constant nudging to respond. I don't know who he (Kevin) is or even care what his intentions may have been. To me, the posting was directed to only humiliate and hurt "one of our own". However, I DO know this. A public post of this type, no matter what the subject, is wrong. I believe as Christians, we are called to love EvErYone. We are NoT called to act as Christ's judge and jury. We may be ThE person...who can; by our words and actions, cause someone to desire and turn to a life in Christ OR cause someone to turn around and run away. As I said in an earlier post, "We ALL fall short..." I know that I blow it far too often. Thus by the Grace and Power and Love of a Living God, I can ask for forgiveness (especially when I know that I have hurt someone). In community, I do believe we need to take the time to show up for each other, be accountable, reach out and pray. One of our daughters served with the organization, Mission Year. Their mission statement is simple. "Love God. Love people. Nothing else matters." ♥

Jo	6:26pm Nov 9

My hope is that everyone feels welcome to use this group as a place to connect with old friends from OSLC, to share news about our lives and to find out where life has taken us. I want everyone to feel welcome here, and to use it for that purpose. I don't want anyone feeling this is not a place for them because of their current faith or position in life. Please keep this in mind as you continue to use this group. And may everyone find connecting with old friends as rewarding as I have!

J	6:33pm Nov 9

Thank you Jo ♥

K	7:12pm Nov 9

J, had Diana been joining a Satanic cult, would my heartfelt cry of despair and request for help been "appropriate" enough for you? As far as I'm concerned, there's NO difference. Feel free to be offended.

K	8:06pm Nov 9

At what point did I ever suggest that someone wasn't welcome here? Are you saying that we're only allowed to talk about ourselves here? Seriously, one of our OSLC alums has done a complete faith 180 and all you want me to say is: "Hi, I went to college, got married, have 2 lovely daughters and work at Drugstore.com"?? Give me a break, John.

Jo	8:19pm Nov 9

That is exactly what I created the group for Kevin. You are more than welcome to create a group to discuss theology, if you wish.

K	8:26pm Nov 9

You're right, John. If *I* had created this Joyful Noise alumni group, I, too, would expect everyone to only say what *I* want them to say. But since *you* created it, I'll retract everything I've said so far. Oh wait... no I won't. D may feel "happy" and she may think she's found a "family", but she's wrong. I don't care how tolerant YOU want to be, I can't stand watching God's children go to hell.

And this was the last comment - the whole post was removed after that.

De

Cuddle Bug

This has been a pretty good weekend . . . . .

• Had lunch with L at McDonald's yesterday - she was able to take a short break while I was there and come sit with me for a bit.  L told the manager I was her Mom and they gave me the family discount so I got a Big Mac Meal for $3.81!!
• Gained back my lost hour - which has been sorely needed!
• Went to church today - starting to remember names and faces!  
• Spent some quality time with Miss Chrissy - she has been a real snuggle pup this weekend.  It's been very nice to have a pup want to just curl up next to me.  She has been rather entertaining too - her new thing is to grab socks out of my bedroom and then hide them out in the living room.  She will come running by and I see the flash of white in her mouth and then she starts digging at a pillow and buries my sock.  Tomorrow morning when I am getting ready for work I will have to go on a hunt to find some matching socks!
• Friday night I met the new Missionary Elder Rodriguez - Elder Brady was transferred to the Bellevue South Ward.  I miss him - we had good conversations.  Elder Tinge and Elder Rodriguez came by to have pizza on Friday night - I'm not used to feeding boys!  Next time I will definitely need to order more - or maybe I'll make my Spaghetti Lasagna.  

 This week is going to be very busy.  Monday I need to make sure I get all of my AP things done because Tues and Wed I will be processing Payroll now that J has moved on.  I am a little stressed but I am sure it will be OK and J is just a phone call away if I run into any problems.  Thursday I have my Lisa appointment and then the ladies from the church Relief Society are coming by to visit.  Friday night I am going to J's house - his wife A is having a Candle party.  Busy Busy Busy!

Well - it's only 750 but I am getting a bit sleepy - it's dark and feels like almost 9 - hopefully this means I will get back to getting up and getting in to work early. I think Chrissy is a little tired too - I am laying on the couch and she just curled up on my feet - I am really enjoying this Chrissy!!  Muppet Spirit must have had a little chat with her!

De

Dogs and Cats

Just saw this on the icanhascheezburger site!!  Gave me a good laugh this morning!





see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I'm Back In Jr High!!

I just went back to Jr High . . . . . It's just after Christmas Break (Yes, that's what it was . . . none of this PC "winter" break) . . . I am wearing my brand new light blue t-shirt with a big picture of Shaun Cassidy on it!!!  I also got his album too!

I went on this trip back through time watching Shaun on Oprah tonight!!  He was my first teen crush!  I had pictures of him all over my bedroom walls.  I watched Hardy Boys every Sunday and sang Da Doo Ron Ron and Hey Deanie at the top of my lungs!  I was going to marry him one day!  It's amazing how just seeing your teen heart throb can make you feel 13 again . . . I couldn't stop smiling at the TV the whole time . . . definitely not going to delete that recording for awhile!

De

**When he was singing hey Deanie back in the 70s he was really singing to me and saying Hey De De!!  A girl can dream!***

Long Days

Day 3 of working until 800 pm - definitely taking it's toll.  I am very tired and my brain is fuzzy - doesn't help that I can't go right to bed once I get home - poor Chrissy has been spending a lot of time in the kitchen and all she wants to do when I get home is chase cats, play with toys, and run around.  Last night I put her in the crate and she cried for almost 1/2 an hour because she wanted to play and I wanted to sleep.  

Right now she is playing with fire - she is attacking Niki and Niki does not like to play with Chrissy - she keeps biting on her neck and then barks at her.  She is not only irritating the cats but she is irritating me!  I am thinking it is time for the crate - BRB . . . . . . . OK - she is in the crate and staring at me.  At least she's not crying or barking.  I'm sure my neighbors downstairs are happy for that too.

Belief is that things come in 3's - does this work with stressful things as well as deaths?  I think I have hit my limit of 3 stressful things this week.

1. Month End Close which has resulted in staying late every night this week.
2. Jason not being at work anymore - I believe I miss  him so much because I was his "work" wife! LOL!
3. The appraisal on my Condo came back lower than I needed so looks like I will only be able to refinance my mortgage and not get any cash out of it.  This is going to require some thinking this week as I am not sure I can afford to go to TX for Christmas now.

 On the appraisal issue - explain to me why - a person who has made their mortgage payments on time for well over 20 years is not able to get a loan for less than what their house is worth and yet, a person who has trouble making their payments on a loan that is more than their house is worth is getting help from the government?  This country is so backwards - rewarding those that don't follow the rules and punishing those of us that do.  Will the nice guys ever finish first?  

De

***Thursday Update . . . my Internet went out last night so I couldn't post this!***

I'm A Mormon

The past few days have been very eventful! 

Saturday I was Baptized into the Mormon Church.  I was a bit nervous as I headed to the church but once I saw Jason I relaxed.  I got changed into my baptismal clothing and then we went out into the hallway for pictures and then a quick practice so I would know exactly what would happen when it was time to be dunked.  It’s hard to put into words how I felt – it was like when you come home after a long trip, it just feels right, comforting, like you belong.  It meant a lot to me to have Jason be the one to baptize me and for my parents to be there and to see that it is really something that makes me happy.  Towards the end of the service Bishop Tanner asked me if I would be willing to stand up and share with the people there what led me to my decision.  I was very nervous but when I got up there the words just flowed.  This was not a quick and fast decision on my part – it has been a slow, steady process over the last 4 years.

After the Baptism I went out to dinner with Jason, his family, and Tryna..  They gave me a bag with items that I will get used to now that I am a Mormon – a bottle of rootbeer, a bottle of fry sauce, and a box of jello!  They also got me the book of scriptures – Bible, Book of Mormon, and D&C – with my name printed on the front.  It is very special. 

Sunday at church I was confirmed – which was the last thing that needed to be done in order to make me a member of the church.  Jason and his family came to the service.  Before church, L called me and wanted to know if I would like to get together and have dinner after church.  So I picked her up after church and we went to Red Robin over by Bell Square – which was very crowded with families dressed up for Halloween and trick or treating in the mall.  It was fun to see the little kids dressed up though – they are so dang cute. 

I got home just in time for my one and only trick or treater – the little boy from downstairs – and to put Chrissy in her costume.  Muppet was definitely easier to dress up – she would just sit there and tolerate it.  Chrissy on the other hand was not very happy – she kept shaking her head and rolling on the carpet to try and get it off!

Today was the first day without Jason at work – it was very sad – it feels very strange that he will not be there anymore.  The lunch crew was very quiet today – no Jason and R was not at work today either – lunchtime will never be the same. 

OK – time to get my coughing, stuff headed body to bed – gotta try and shake this thing.  It is Month End this week so I need to keep up my strength.

De

End of Week Update

Wow - it has been awhile since I posted anything.  Sorry - my bad!  I have been busy meeting with the missionaries 2 to 3 times a week,  then I went on a quick vacation to Vegas, came back with a "smokers" cough from all the secondhand smoke I inhaled, and now I have a stuffy nose so I haven't really had time or felt up to writing.  So guess what . . . . . . Yup . . . . . time for a bullet point update on a few things!

• No update on the King County Sheriff who came to the condo looking for L.  She hasn't called him and he has not come by again - at least not while I've been home.  I did a little research on my own and found that one of L's "friends" has an active case in the King County Superior Court and right about the time the sheriff came by they were finishing up depositions on her case.  I could not find any details other than it is a Criminal Non-Traffic Offense and she had to be let out on $5K bail.  I think this is what they want to talk to her about but we will never know cuz she's an adult so they won't talk to me and she is in no hurry to call.

• Vegas!  Fun trip!  Spent a good portion of it in the Sports Book watching Football!  I started out doing well but on Sunday - for some reason - I decided to go out on my own hunches instead of doing what K did. Should have stuck with K as she went home with $$ and I left $$ in Vegas!  Next year I am going to stick by her and after she places her bets I'm just going to say - "I'll do what she just did!"

• Chrissy - She is still as crazy as ever.  L watched her while I was in Vegas and she survived!  In fact - when I got home Chrissy seemed more upset about L leaving than she was excited to have me home!  And . . . . when the Elders came by on Wednesday she was more excited to see them than she was to see me!  Silly dog!  Just for that . . . . . I got her 2 Halloween Costumes that I am going to make her wear!!  I will post pics!

• Mormon - Tomorrow is the big day . . . I am being Baptized in to the Mormon Church.  This is such a big step for me but I feel very good about my decision . . . . . this is right for me.  I got to choose any member in the church to do the actually baptism . . . . I chose my friend J from work.  This is going to make it even more special.  My parents are coming down for it too which means a lot to me.  

Tomorrow I have a hair appt with Bonnie and then I am going to go look for a skirt or dress that I can wear - I only have one dress and I need more that I can wear to church.  I will start at Target and then head to Ross - If I can't find anything there I will have to try Lane Bryant . . . a little pricey so if I end up there I will just get one item and then look for others next week.

Today we celebrated Halloween at work - I wasn't going to dress-up but kinda got "guilted" in to it yesterday so I picked up some cat ears, a nose with whiskers, and a tail - dressed in all black - very easy.  It was our head of finance's big 4 - 0 today - some people got to work early and really decorated his office - it was great - and he liked it!  His favorite item - an "old" persons cane that came with a horn, squeaked when it touched the floor and a pill bottle with an emergency Twix in it - Twix are his weakness!

OK - hope I caught you up on everything - if I didn't let me know by leaving a comment.  I will try to get back on track next week - although it is month-end next week and we will be one person down because today was J's last day . . . . . . . very sad face . . . . . . . he will be greatly missed - not just for what he did as a job but for his friendship, his humor, his listening ability, and the free therapy sessions.

De

Deep Breath . . . . Relax

Needed to take a break yesterday - think about the reactions that happened with my previous post - that hasn't happened in a long while.

No talk tonight about my choice to join the Mormon Church - I'll come back to that topic another day.  So whenever I need to move on to a lighter topic I write about . . . . . . . . . . CHRISSY!!!!!  Boy is her personality really coming out - she's a little sneaker!! 

Last night when I was home with her she came running in to the living room with what I thought was a napkin she must have found in the kitchen - she was tearing it up in to teeny tiny pieces!! Closer inspection though - it was items out of the garbage can in my bathroom!!  Yuck!!  Got it all cleaned up but within an hour poor little Chrissy had a very upset tummy - She cried most of the night in her crate.  She got me up at 1 this morning - crying very loudly - so I took her outside - you could hear her tummy just making all sorts of noises.  Came back inside and I think she finally cried herself to sleep around 2 - 230.  I felt so bad for her - hoped she would learn a lesson about eating things (yeah, I know - very wishful thinking).  She was feeling better this morning.

Tonight when I got home I was greeted by a big surprise . . . . . Chrissy at the front door!!!  Yes - the little Houdini figured out how to get out of the kitchen and she had been running around the house - I have no idea how long she had been free but I'm thinking it was for a good portion of the day.  She is a funny funny girl . . . she was so excited to greet me at the door . . . like - Look Mom - See What I Did! 

This evening I have been quite the little Suzie Homemaker - I was baking miniature apple pies, cleaning the kitchen, and taking care of laundry!  Chrissy helped with the laundry too . . . . . in her own way . . . . she was taking socks out of the pile and then running around "burying" them!  I found 2 behind the pillows on the couch and I watched while she buried one under the blanket in her bed.  She entertains me! 

The little pies turned out pretty good - I figure I will have them perfected in time to possibly make them for Thanksgiving - along with mini pumpkin and mini lemon pies. 

OK - thinking it's time for bed and I just saw my little sock thief running down the hall with something white in her mouth - I wonder how many socks I'm going to find under the covers!

De

?????

Wow . . . . I'm not even sure what to title this post or to even explain what I am feeling in my head right now. Today I found out what it feels like to be part of a group that some people have such strong feelings of suspicion and hatred towards.  

While on FB today I chose to like a group - I liked Mormon.org.  I would guess that about less than an hour later I got an IM on FB from someone I knew in high school wanting to know when I had become Mormon.  Before I even had a chance to respond to the IM I received this private message in FB from this person -

D, they came at a time when you were at your weakest. Not to save you, but to capitalize on that weakness. The Mormon church is a cult. You are being drawn away from God, not toward Him. Please talk to a Lutheran pastor about this before it's too late. PLEASE. 


I responded to this person via IM - not accusatory or wanting to know why they were so hateful - I asked why they thought it was a cult and what was their definition of a cult?  No response to my question - just more about how I am weak - I explained that this was not a rash decision that I had been looking in to this for awhile now.

His response - What has happened to you?  How could you grow up in the Lutheran Church and make this decision?

My response - Where was all this concern when I was alone with a young child, no friends, trying to find my place?  I have looked around and the Mormon church offers what I am looking for and it's right for me?

His Response - It's not right for you - they are making you think it's what you want but God provides everything you need.

My Response - So I don't need community, friendship, acceptance?

Yeah - it pretty much went downhill from there.  I am all for everyone having their own beliefs but I am not for people thinking that their way is the only way.  It also really upset me that this person who has not spoken with me or been around me for over 18 years feels like he knows more about me than I know about myself - thinking that I am weak and being preyed upon in my "weakest" moment. If he knew anything about me he would know that I am not at my "weakest" moment and that the Mormons did not seek me out - I looked for them.  If they were preying on me why weren't they knocking on my door back in March the week that L was going through a major decision and my Little Miss Muppet passed away - that was one of my weakest moments.

It really really bothered me today - didn't make me doubt my decision - made me feel sorry for this person because they have such hatred about something they know nothing about.  I just don't understand that way of thinking.

De

On A Journey

Heyyyy . . . . . . I've been busy in the evenings so I haven't been writing . . . . . . bad me .   What have I been doing instead of writing - well . . . . . .I have been meeting with the Mormon Missionaries two nights a week going over my homework assignments.  I have been reading chapters from the Book of Mormon and learning more about the beliefs and spiritual guidance.  Friday we went over Plan of Salvation.  I have found comfort in my meetings with them - but also having feelings of anxiety about whether this is the right direction for me.  It is a major decision. 

Friday they asked me whether I was ready to attend church.  I was very tentative and told them I would need to think about it - which I did - all day Saturday and during the night.  I woke up at 8 this morning - church wasn't until 1 - I took this as a sign - went to church. 

It wasn't at all what I expected - and I'm not sure really what I was expecting - maybe more ceremonial like a Catholic Service.  There were some hymns - prayers - people from the ward spoke - sacrament blessing - and that was pretty much it.  One thing that surprised me was the number of young children that were at the service - walking all over - talking - crying - and it didn't seem to bother anyone.  After the service it was time for Sunday School - and then the Men and Women went to separate meetings.  In all it was 3 hours - although it didn't feel like it - it went rather quickly.


Everyone was very nice and welcoming.  I left with such a feeling of joy in my chest - I honestly am starting to believe that this is the right choice for me.

De

Jinx

OK - Which one of you did it - huh huh - you know who you are - just admit it . . . . Which one of you was thinking or said "Hmm . . now that L has moved out of De's house there isn't as much drama for her to write about!"   Quit Jinxing Me!!!  What drama you may be asking yourself . . . . . Well . . . . .

It all happened yesterday afternoon.  I had a Dr Appt at 2:00 in Issaquah so I went home afterwards instead of heading back over the bridge.  Got home and took Chrissy out for a walk and to go check the mail - I guess it was a bit after 300 - we heard the bells from the Elementary School signaling it was time for them to head home.  I walked back towards my building - rounded the corner - and there - parked right in front of my building . . . . . King County Sheriff car!!!  Now - most people would think that something must be going on with one of their neighbors.  I on the other hand immediately wonder what did I do or what did L do!  My experiences have proven me correct on many occasions and this time was no exception!  The Deputy got out of the car while I was walking back with Chrissy and disappeared - I wasn't sure which stack of stairs he had gone up - until I headed up mine.  There - standing at the top of the stairs - in front of my door - King County Sheriff Deputy.  The whole situation only lasted several minutes but it freaked me out so I'm not sure I remember everything that was said . . . . . .

• Deputy - Do you live here?

• Me - Yes

• Deputy - Which one is yours?

• Me - The door you're standing in front of.

• Deputy - What's your name?

• Me - I gave him my name

• Deputy - Do you know L

• Me - Yes

• Deputy - Is she in there

• Me - No, she doesn't live here anymore.

• Deputy - Did you and her part on good terms.

• Me - Yes.  I'm her Mom.  Can you tell me what this is about?

• Deputy - No, she's an adult and due to privacy laws I can't tell you anything.

He then said that he needed to talk to her and show her some photos.  He asked if she would be coming by here anytime soon.  He left it by giving me his number and name to give to her and have her call him.  I gave her the number but I don't think she's called him.  The whole thing just creeped me out.  Does he really just need to talk to her about something or is he coming after her because of the warrant that she has due to not showing up for her DUI court date.  If she meets with him is she going to be arrested?  She's just finally getting things together . . . . . . but it looks like some of her mistakes are possibly catching up with her.

So . . . . whoever it was . . . . . Quit Jinxing Me!!!

De

Subtlety

I have been looking for something but not sure what - I have prayed for answers - guidance - direction. 

God answers your prayers in very different ways - not necessarily the way you might be expecting - sometimes it is so subtle that the signs have to be given to you over and over in order to get you pointed in the right direction.

Most of last week I had that nagging feeling you get in the back of your head that you might be forgetting something - all full of anxiety and not knowing what it is.  I was also stressed from close - changes in my life - so much going on in my head.  Friday night I was outside walking Chrissy along the sidewalk in front of my condo complex.  Chrissy was not being very quick about her business too interested in sniffing everything and checking out the shadows behind trees.  While out there two young men dressed in shorts and ties came up and started talking to me - Yes, they were missionaries - I stopped and spoke with them for awhile.  Then we moved under a street light and they shared with me.  I set up an appointment to meet with them again on Sunday to learn more about The Book of Mormon. 

Sunday they came by and we talked more about being Mormon  - they brought me a Book of Mormon  and we talked - I have another meeting with them on Tuesday to talk about the chapter they want me to read. 

I feel in my heart that it was divine intervention that I met up with these two on Friday.  Since Friday that feeling of anxiety has been gone.

De

And On A Lighter Note

Yesterday's entry must have been too heavy - I thought I would get some comments - people's thoughts - but nope - nothing.  So - either no one read it - or it was just a subject no one felt strongly about.  So  - moving on to something lighter . . . . . . . Chrissy!

She is really turning in to a character . . . . personality coming out.  I have been so wrapped up lately with the fact that she "is not Muppet" that I have not been looking at what Chrissy is.  So - here are a few things that she does that are Chrissy things -

• In the morning when I open her crate she rolls over so she can get her belly scratched - that's how she likes to start her day.
• When it is time for me to leave for work she runs around the living room - jumps on the couch and looks at me.  I say "Look Cute" and she puts her head on her paws and gives me sad puppy eyes!  This gets her another belly rub and then time to go in the kitchen.
• When I get home - and this is as close to a Muppet thing as she gets - she lays flat on the kitchen floor and then when I reach over the gate to get her she stands on her hind legs and does her version of a Muppet Dance!  Not quite as cute - a little spastic in fact - but it is funny!
• When it is later at night - like after 8 - she starts to calm down a little bit - she likes to sit on the couch next to me and chew on her toys.  Tonight I am baking cookies and every time I get up off the couch and go to the kitchen she follows me to see what I'm doing.  Then she follows me back to the couch and sits right next to me with her toys!  She may be on her way to becoming a Mama's Girl.
• It's not all cute and sweet stuff!  When she has gotten outside through the front door - you have to be quick in closing it or else she gets out.  She is very Fast! Anyways - when she has gotten lose she has taken off running - zipping around the parking lot - she is fast and quick -weaving between parked cars -  maybe the Seahawks should draft her as a running back!  The other night she snuck outside and I went running after her - it was like a stand off, I wasn't sure how I was going to get her.  Then I remembered a "Bonanza" trick - I unlocked the car, opened the door, she jumped right in!

So I baked cookies tonight - new recipe Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.  I think the last time I made snickerdoodles was Home Ec class in High School.  I hope they taste OK - my workmates will be my guinea pigs tomorrow - At least it's also Bagel Friday so if they taste yucky everyone will have something else to eat!  The last batch should be coming out of the oven soon and then it's time for bed. 

De