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