Numbers

When I got ready to post this little update, I wanted to title it 5, but I have done so many posts with a number as the title so I thought I would just call it "numbers"!  LOL

Anywho...the #5 is for the number of envelopes I've received yesterday (4) and today (1) from my man!  And the great news is...he will be transferred from the facility he is at!  Woo-frickin'-hoo!!!!!  I am so excited that I finally started getting some letters and he has confirmed with 2 people there that he will be leaving there!  Let's just hope and pray that it will be less than a 9.5 hour drive one way...

102

emails in my in-box now...  UGH...I can't even get one thing accomplished!  Yikes!  If you emailed me, please know I'm behind and not ignoring you.  

Preoccupied and Paralyzed?

You know when you have so much going on you can't think straight and feel overwhelmed?  Or when you have something going on or are witnessing something and you feel almost paralyzed?  I am in that spot right now.  

In my town we have a missing 5 year old little girl and that hits home.  It is scary.  It is very upsetting.  And since the little girl went missing approximately 2 blocks from my pediatrician's office and a van, which was searched and seizured, was less than a quarter of a mile from my home.  Understandable that there are a couple of persons of interest that the police are holding on parole violations, which are people that the little girl's mom knew; however, that doesn't make it any less scary to me as a mom of a 6 year old... So needless to say, most of my time has been consumed with staying up with the story and listening to the local rumors.

On top of being practically paralyzed by this situation, I feel like I have so many things going on right now I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.  Yikes!!  Hell, I even have 98 emails in my personal in-box.  Between work, baseball for the munchkin, soccer for the munchkin, planning the b-day for the munchkin, helping my mom draft letters regarding my nephews...no wonder I'm feeling overwhelmed!  I was so exhausted last night we were in the bed by 8:30pm!  So I'm not quite as tired tonight, so I guess I just need to sit down and make a list and tackle it one at a time, but my goodness...it has been so crazy that it took me over 2.5 weeks to get in to get my monthly waxing and facial...

Profound statements can come from the strangest places

As you all know, I have major issues with my brother and his new wife. I really don't know his new wife and the most time I've spent with her in one setting was yesterday at the Memorial Day Cook-Out. I still am not a fan...actually, I can barely speak to her and I cannot bring myself to look at her. I don't know what all of my issues are.

I've had issues with her since day one...she allowed my brother to move in immediately upon meeting him and got knocked up. She had a 5 month old son, (allegedly) did not know my brother before he separated from his wife on 2/16/2007 and yet moved him in to her home with her son in less than a month and was immediately pregnant (baby born 12/20/2007). Plus she has shown psychotic episodes in the past with my brother.

But my dad made a profound statement last night when I said, I just didn't know what it was about her, but there is just something there that I can't get past. My dad, who is not the most keen person in the group, said, "I think we fear liking her because of what the x-s-i-l has done, because we all came to love her and the boys and now look what has happened." I agree with my dad...this one has an uphill battle and between our fear of liking her and the rocky beginning of their relationship, combined with her highly psychotic episode last fall, I just don't know if even her delicious dessert will get her past a foot in the door...

That's a Lot of Brats

I survived the Memorial Day Cookout even though by the time we left for the parade at 1pm I was unsure if I would survive or not. In case you didn't know, I am a bit of a control freak and when I say something I expect people to listen and to follow directions. Is that so hard? So when I discovered that not just one, but three people had not listened to me I was very upset. The deal was (and always has been whenever I have a family function) that if I want/need you to bring anything I will tell you what to bring. If I don't ask, that means I have a specific menu planned and I have everything and everyone covered. So when I learned that 3 people were bringing additional food, I was upset. I was actually mad.

I was serving:

Meat:

Ribs

Beef Kabobs

Chicken Kabobs

Shrimp Kabobs

Brats

Hot Dogs (for the kids)

Salads:

Macaroni Salad

Spaghetti Salad

Chips & Dip

Veggies & Dip

A dessert

Much to my dismay when I discovered that my mom was bringing Brats when all I asked her to bring were sliced onions and green peppers to cook my ribs with. Then I learn that my brother was bringing an ice cream cake and more brats. WTH? We were going to have a ton of brats. Ugh... Then my aunt dropped the bomb that she was bringing potato salad. Now I was pissed. If I wanted them to bring all of this, I would have told them. By the time I was on my way to the parade I was vowing that this would be my last family gathering!!

It all worked out...I sent everyone home with their brats because we didn't use them. I didn't blow up with my brother and his family here (more on that later!) and I have to give props to his wife (I assume) because her dessert was to die for...maybe she will make it in this family yet!

Of course my aunt & uncle never made it...she apparently had a need to stay at the local club after the parade and drink, so there was no potato salad (and honestly, it was never missed) and they missed yet another family gathering...their loss, not ours. :(

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday.

Happy Memorial Day!!

I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day. Remember to thank all of your veterans for today! I know I will!!! Love to my aunt, uncles, dad, cousins, my man and my friends on their Memorial Day and thank you for all you have done as veterans!!!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!!

The 2:00am Phone Call

Last night I continued preparing for our Memorial Day Cookout. I made my mom's macaroni salad, which took a couple hours. When that was finally finished I poured myself a glass of wine and sat down to relax since my munchkin was at the neighbor's I decided to do something that I never do...have myself a glass of wine while home alone. I took one sip of the wine, looked to my left and remembered I can't drink...I'm on antibiotics. Opps... So much for sitting down and relaxing with a glass of wine.

Finally at 2am I thought it was okay, so off to bed I went with the plan to get up in the AM to clean up the kitchen, pick up the house, do laundry and finish preparing for Monday's Memorial Day Cookout. I laid down in bed thinking that my munchkin was successful with his first friend sleepover. In 4 minutes my phone rang (2:04am exactly). My munchkin wanted to come home. He was crying and missed his mommy. So I got up, met them half-way on the walk and brought my baby home. I was okay with the idea he came home primarily because of my earlier questioning of whether I should have let him actually stay over.

It is okay that he really didn't accomplish his major milestone...he can remain my baby a little while longer.

Major Milestone, Major Mistake?

Well, today has been a crazy day.  Even with going to bed last night by 11pm I was totally exhausted this morning.  I didn't even want to get out of bed!  I finally got up around 10am when my mom called.  Lately I've been extremely tired and can't seem to motivate.  Even when I know I have to be some where with something done by a certain time.  I don't know what has happened to me.  I used to be the person that was always 10 mins early and considered that late!!

Today, I did it again.  Even knowing I needed to go to a minimum of 2 stores today before we attended a 3pm and then a 4pm birthday party.  What time did I get in the shower?  1:30pm, of course.  So needless to say we were about 35 mins late to the 3pm birthday party.  We stayed a little over an hour and then left for the 4pm birthday party, which we were about an hour and fifteen minutes late for that one.  Of course no one was there so I'm not sure if the party ever happened or if we just missed it.  I felt really bad, but I have a feeling it never took place because who is able to have a 7 year olds birthday party at a public park, clean up and leave in less than an hour...come on people, you can hardly get a group of 7 year olds out the door in less than an hour let alone through a birthday party.

So after this snafu I took the munchkin to a park to play for a bit and then we went to Chuck E. Cheese for a few hours and then back home.  Of course there were still people at the original birthday party, so the munchkin went back over and then ended up getting invited to stay the night over there.  I wanted to tell him no so bad, but then I just knew I would crush my muchkin's heart...  And when I finally gave in my son danced around the house yelling, "OH MY GOD!!  My first sleep-over with a friend.  I'm so excited!!!!" (over and over again!)  Then the bottom dropped out...

I packed the munchkin's bag and walked him over to their house.  His buddy and two big guys were in the bouncy house and I swear no one else was outside.  I swear!  So Zach knocked on the door and buddy's cousin let us inside.  Buddy's dad came out and talked for a bit.  We laid down some ground rules for my munchkin and I assured them that they can call if I'm needed for anything.  Well, I don't know which thought came first in my head, but I started thinking, "Buddy's daddy looks stoned" and "Does it stink in here and if so, does it have an underlying smell of pot?"  So I'm not sure if it smelled because he looked stoned or if he looked stoned because it smelled.  :(  I wanted to instantly grab my baby and run home.  I also thought he came from another room in their home and suspected that the women were in that room.  I started having crazy insane thoughts of what might be going on in this alleged room....

I made the decision to let my son stay over because I just couldn't come up with a polite way to "change" my mind and my gut wasn't telling me to pull him out of there...my paranoia was.  I tried to use my head and thought it was one night and we could survive this.  Next time I will be better prepared with a reason behind my "no".  So I leave the house and sitting outside are the 3 women...where the hell did they come from.  Were the female voices I heard Buddy's sister and her friends staying over or did the women sneak out of the room through the window and walk around the back of the house to be sitting in the chairs in the front when I left?!?  WTH was happening to my mind!  So maybe he wasn't stoned and maybe their house didn't stink, maybe I'm just losing it....

Okay, the house did stink, but I'm not sure what or why it stunk!  And congrats to my munchkin for another major milestone in his little life even though I question my sanity in agreeing to it...

What a relief

Tonight was baseball practice and I was a little nervous.  You see the last time I was at a baseball practice for my munchkin was last year's team and it wasn't fun.  Hell, the games weren't even fun.  I don't know what was wrong with that team, but it was definitely off.  The parents did talk to one another.  Everyone wanted to be the coach's best friend.  These things didn't get to me, because I don't have to have the other parents talk to me and I don't care if they are all vying for the coach's friendship.  He was a great coach and a nice guy, but I didn't need for him to be my best friend.  The thing that pissed me off the most was the fact that the "dads" of the team would only go out and assist the coach when their son was up to bat.  

Okay, once you've been to a t-ball or baseball practice you learn quickly that the coach has no control of these 13 little kids (average age 5) and he needs assistance.  They need help getting the kids together, ready to bat, to sit on the bench, to get to their designated position, etc.  Well, since the actual normal family has became what I currently am, a single parent, and this is a "daddy" sport, the least I expect from the daddy helpers is for them to help with all of the kids.  Well, apparently that is too high of an expectation, because it didn't happen.  These guys would only come out of the stands when their little one would come up to bat, would become 1st and 3rd base coaches when their child was on base and then would return to the stands when their child was done running the bases and batting.  Heck, they didn't even assist the coach's daughter.  :(  

Well, so much has changed this year!!!!  :D  There were two or three dads there tonight helping.  One dad was out on the field with the coach and the other dad was controlling the kids on the bench and warming up each batter before they were up in the batter's box.  It was so nice to see these dads helping the coach and helping all of the kids!  Thank you daddy helpers!!

As for the parents in the stands...OMG, they talk to one another!  Me included!!  There were 4 of us "moms" sitting around chit-chatting.  It was fun, entertaining and I couldn't believe it when I looked and we were already an hour in to practice!  Woo-hoo!!  I'll be looking forward to going next Friday too!

Embarking on a very busy weekend...

Well, tomorrow is the beginning of a 3-day weekend. The unofficial start to summer. And are we busy...dang! My aunt leaves town tomorrow through Sunday night, so it is just the munchkin and I and we just keep getting busier and busier.

Here is the tentative schedule for our weekend:

Friday:

Work & School

6-8pm Baseball Practice

Saturday:

9:30am Meeting up w/my friend DM, which we haven't been able to do for a few weeks and we are just hoping to meet up for a bit this week. (Tentative)

3pm Munchkin's neighbor friend birthday party

3:15pm My monthly facial and waxing, which I had to cancel. :(

4pm Munchkin's classmate's birthday party

Sunday:

Grocery shopping for our Memorial Day Cook-Out

Monday:

2pm Memorial Day parade

4pm Memorial Day Cook-Out

& then Tuesday it is back to work already...dang!

I also need to work on getting some of the things on my "to-do" list done in preparation for the summer, for the munchkin's birthday party, and preparing for the whole furnace snafu.

What is on your Memorial Day weekend agenda?

Part vs. Whole

It appears that I need to purchase a new furnace.  Actually I have a choice to make.  There is a part that has cracks in it allowing gas to seep in to our home.  That piece is still under warranty but for only one more year.  (My home is 9 years old.)  I can have this piece replaced for labor only, which is estimated at $1,200.  Or I can opt for a new furnace for approximately $3,000.

There are pros and cons to both.  If I opt to replace the piece it could be a cheaper option that could last for years.  However, I could replace the piece and it could crack again in a year and I'm having to replace it again or something else breaks and I'm having to spend $3,000 for a new furnace now.

If I opt to put in a whole new furnace it is really expensive, but it will likely come with a warranty for several years and I will not have to worry about it for some time (or so I hope).  Plus depending on which one I purchase I could be eligible for tax credits at the end of the year.  But it is approximately $3,000.

Ugh....when it rains it pours...any thoughts are appreciated.  

Wow...what a difference

I remember on my way in to the office this morning I thought of a great post for today's entry. It was something that happened to me or around me and darn it to all...I can't remember what it was! Ugh...I hate it when that happens. I'll remember later I'm sure of it and as soon as I do I will let you know. Anywho, a few family phone calls later in the morning gave me another great entry, so here goes...

In my battle against my continuing illness I thought maybe something in my house was making me sick or vulnerable to illnesses or producing horrible, horrible allergies, so last week after going back to the doctor a/k/a Urgent Care (yes, I seem to visit Urgent Care more frequently than my doctor, but the schedule is much more applicable to my life...if only my PCP would stay open till 10pm and wouldn't have a 4 hour wait then I might see him more often!) and being put back on antibiotics for a "nasty" sinus infection and tonsillitas I decided it was time to take some household action.

I started by stripping my bed and spraying it with lysol. Then I moved on to my humidifier and cleaned that all up and changed filters. Then last, but certainly not least, I called and scheduled an appointment for someone to come out and service my furnace and central air unit, which is occurring today.

I had my uncle come over and sit to wait for the service people, which then lead to him calling me and asking me about a lock on an electrical box outside. Of course I had no clue what he was talking about. I then proceeded to call my aunt, who then spoke to my mother and called me back about this mystery lock. The story that finally came to me was when I kicked my man out back in 2004 I feared "someone" would do something to my electrical box and I took the lock off my shed and put it on this outside electrical box and put a new lock on my shed to keep my man out of my stuff! Of course what this really means is my mom and dad took the lock from the shed and put it on this electrical box to prevent my man coming and messing with my electrical stuff and to keep him out of the shed too.

Do you see all of the holes to this story? I do!! First of all, "I" did not do any of this. I may have been a consulted party, but trust me in the fog of filing for divorce and kicking my man to the curb and losing my step-son in the process I have no memory what-so-ever about a lock being inter-changed. Second...by taking a lock that my man had a key to and putting it on the electrical box really doesn't stop any potential horse-play does it? I'm thinking he would likely have recognized the lock and knew he had a key for it. It just does not come off as such a deterrent to me. Lastly, maybe someone should have marked this information somewhere or labeled a key, because I now suspect that I no longer have a key for this lock.

Luckily Mr. Fix-It can get his job done without really entering that electrical box...because the talk of bolt cutters and strange men at my house was going to send off all sorts of other alarms at my house today...alarms I really don't want to deal with today.

Of course I'm not sure if I would hear all of these alarms, since as of yesterday I can no longer hear out of my left ear. :( Back to Urgent Care I went last night clearly frustrated with the fact that I can't seem to get better, especially since the last few weeks I had thought "this" was simply allergies. I told the doctor that I traded a sore throat for a blocked ear and everything else remained the same and that my frustration level is really high right now. He proceeded to proscribe me a different, much stronger antibiotic, which I find funny because it is what he originally proscribed last week that he ended up canceling when the pharmacist advised my co-pay was going to be $40. (All of this was done without my knowledge, of course. And I do understand his position when he explained last night that he made a judgment call, because so many of the people that come in to see him really can't afford that co-pay.) I told him I didn't care the cost...just give me something that was really going to work.

Wow...what a difference 2 pills have made! I took this new antibiotic with the newly proscribed heavy-duty decongestent when I got home last night and when I got up this morning I was like a new person! Holy smokes!! My ear remains blocked and I'm certainly not over my sickness as I am "really, really sick" according to the doctor last night; however, I feel like things have turned a corner. I took my morning decongestent before I left for work this morning and can't wait to get home to take a second dose of my antibiotic, so hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better!

Of course the munchkin woke up hacking this morning, which isn't surprising since mommy has been sick, Chica and her girls have been sick and he is with all of us everyday. So he will be seeing his doctor at 4:30pm today...

What is missing and What is out of place?

Okay...let's play a little game! So all I wanted today for lunch was a burger. I would have preferred a bar burger, specifically Mr. Joe's, but that was really out of the question for today, so I decided to go to the uber-expensive restaurant in my building because I know that they have decent cheeseburgers. So I ordered a cheeseburger with a side of their delicious chicken enchillada soup. 20 mins later it finally comes out to me and I bring it up to my office. I began taking my lunch out of the bag to eat. There is....

• a cheeseburger on a toasted onion/cheese bagel with lettuce, tomato and onion and nothing else
• a side of seasoned fries (maybe they can't substitute...okay)
• and a fork

In the smaller bag inside the big bag, there is...

• a cup of chicken enchillada soup
• a bag of fried tortilla strips to go with the soup
• a side of ketchup
• a side of mustard
• a side of sour cream for the soup
• and a capri sun

Okay...I would have rather had mayo for my burger than the sour cream for the soup, but whatever. I most certainly would have rather had a bun for my burger. And maybe next time...a spoon instead of a capri sun that I can take home to my munchkin.

You do know this is a sign right?! This is God's way of saying, "Get off your fat sick ass, pack a healthy lunch and get back to your WWs girl!!!" (If only he would have said it without the stupid bagel...yuck!

Wedding Bells????

Nope, not mine! Apparently my brother is hearing wedding bells (again). The entire family was informed by his application in our local paper for his marriage license. (nice...) After a few phone calls and voice mails it was determined yesterday that the ceremony is this coming Friday. I guess my invitation was lost in the mail. Ha!

My only comment was "I'm not paying for this divorce too, since he still owes me $425 from the last one!"

May 16th is a big date in our family

Well, today is a big day in our family.  I guess I should say the date is a big "date" in our family.  Today is my grandma's birthday.  She would have been 83 today!  Happy Birthday Nana!  We miss you and love you!!

It is also my aunt and uncle's 22nd wedding anniversary today.  Happy Anniversary!!  Some days I'm not sure how they have made it this long...they certainly surprise more than just me!  Regardless I'm glad my aunt found my uncle, because I love them both and I'm happy that they are a part of my family.  Love to you both!

A cousin of mine joins the magical date in my family today when she marries her guy!  I'm not invited and will be at the munchkin's soccer game this afternoon (I sure hope it doesn't rain unless it is going to cancel the game before we leave for the game!) instead.  But I wish R&A all the luck in the world.  It took my cousin almost 33 years to find the love of her life, so I am very happy for them!  (PS. I hope it doesn't rain until they are inside their venue, because that just sucks!)  

So...I hope May 16th is as happy of a day in your life and family as it is in ours!  Happy May 16th!!!!  :)

Selfishness Gets You Every Time, Damn It!

When I overheard a conversation at work this morning between a support person and a coordinator I instantly thought of myself! Yes, this was the selfishness in me that made their conversation all about me. I saw how their topic of discussion would benefit me and how I could check 3 things off of my newly forming, extensively heavy "to-do" list even at 15 feet away and inside of an office. So a few hours later I approached the coordinator and brought up the subject of her earlier conversation. After the conversation I had I became sorry I had overheard the conversation and realized selfishness does have a price...

j'lynn: Did I hear a rumor that you are going to the post office?

PC: Yup. Do you need something?

j'lynn: A book of stamps would be great!

PC: They don't sell stamps in a book anymore.

j'lynn: Yes, they do.

PC: No I don't think they do.

j'lynn: Yes, they have always sold books.

PC: I think they stopped. I only buy rolls.

j'lynn: I only buy rolls too, but they didn't stop selling books.

PC: How many stamps used to come in a book?

j'lynn: Books have 20 stamps in them.

PC: So you want 20 stamps.

j'lynn: Well, if they have rolls, I'll take a roll of stamps. But since I suspect that they will not have rolls yet with the recent change of the prices I'll take a book of stamps.

PC: And if they don't have books?

j'lynn: I'll take 20 stamps.

Main points behind this conversation:

1. Selfishness gets you every time.

2. Overhearing conversations aren't really about you.

3. Just because you do not purchase something doesn't mean they no longer make it.

An In-Box Does Have a Purpose, Really.

Today was the longest day of the week...  OMG!  When you are away from work for 2 weeks, staying up late, sleeping in you do not want to go back to work, especially if you stay up until 2:30am the night before the day you return.  I did not want to get up this morning at all!  But I did...got ready, didn't get to eat breakfast, and ran out the door.  

When I got to work and walked in my office I knew it wasn't going to be a happy day.  Everyone I work with knows that I'm particular about my office.  I have an in-box for a reason, so lets use it people!  I walk in and there are new files spread out on my desk.  Yes, it was in an orderly fashion but there wasn't a reason for it.  Then when I pulled out my chair there were other new files on there.  If you want to bring something to my attention, don't put it on my chair, because I will either sit on it or pick it up and throw it to the side, because now I'm not happy.  What is the point of having an in-box if you aren't going to use it?  It isn't for in-coming mail only or else I would have called it a mailbox not an in-box...

So I was instantly irritated and it just went down hill from there.  There were stupid calls, stupid requests, and stupid questions.  By the time noon came around I was ready to come back home.  Finally at 1pm I was starving because I still hadn't ate yet today, so I ordered a horrible sandwich from Jimmy John's.  It was yummy, but horrible for me. So much for getting on track with WWs today, but tomorrow is a new day.  By the time the day came to an end, I was exhausted.  

The munchkin had his May Crowning tonight for religious class, but I was unable to attend.  I left work late and when I got home my stomach wasn't feeling all that great and I didn't have enough time to settle it to go, so my aunt went with the munchkin.  :)  I relaxed for the rest of the night, went thru some papers and am trying to get organized a bit.  

Now it is off to bed so I can get up and hopefully have a better day tomorrow at work.  I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow, good luck!  ;)

Mother's Day Coming to an End

What a beautiful Mother's Day. :) I started the day by going to Mother's Day mass with my two aunts to watch and listen to my munchkin who did a beautiful job in the first reading. Way to go my munchkin. :) I'm just so proud of you and even though you told me when you went to bed that you love me more than I love you, I hate to tell you my son, you are wrong! I love you more than life itself and you make me so proud to be your mommy!! Thank you for being my son!

From church we went to lunch. We went to one restaurant and we weren't feeling it so we left there and went Mexican instead. It was delicious and I love me some Mexican! ;) Then we had to go to Game Stop to get the munchkin a new game (because if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be a mom!) and then on to home. After that we just kind of sat around, he played his game, I watched some TV and after my aunt went home I took a little nap on the couch and then we grabbed a little KFC (their grilled chicken is yummy!) for dinner.

Mother's Day is wrapping up, but yet again it was another fabo one!! Thank you baby!

PS: Back to work tomorrow! Yikes! After 2 weeks off, it is hard to get back in the groove and I fear tomorrow is going to be one of the longest days of the week to come!

Happy Mother's Day

to everyone! Even if you aren't a mom, that doesn't mean you don't deserve to celebrate Mother's Day, so please enjoy today and Happy Mother's Day Everyone! :)

Combining Holidays...

Well, today I was up before my alarm...shocking! In to the shower I went and out I came. As I was attempting to get ready I hear a knock on the door. I open the door and there sat a flower box! I opened it up and there was a mixed dozen of roses. :) They are beautiful. My son sent me flowers for Mother's Day. :) Munchkin, I love you and thank you baby! I've enjoyed all of your gifts to me. :) I will post pictures in the future of all of my wonderful gifts...roses, seed-plant, and hand poster!

Then off to register the munchkin for the 09/10 soccer season. Doesn't that sound weird?! OMG...in less than a year it will be 2010! Yikes! Anywho...I rushed up to register him, running late because I had to get my roses in to the beautiful green vase they came with. Luckily it was much easier to register him at noon then it was last year when I went at 10:30am, thirty minutes after they opened, because last year it took me hours to get what it took me to do in 10 mins today!

And from there the family met for a family dinner @ 3pm. Mom, dad, aunt, uncle, other aunt, munchkin and I attended. I had planned it with the intention of the entire family going to dinner. It was my treat for both Mother's Day & Father's Day. It seems that we always do something for Mother's Day and don't always follow up on Father's Day. I think primarily because my man isn't here and since he isn't involved with my munchkin I don't press the "holiday" to bring it to the forefront of my munchkin's mind and since it appears that so many times if I don't plan the family "gathering" it doesn't get planned...or so it feels! So I decided when I took all of the mothers, fathers, mother-figures and father-figures in our family out for a Mother's Day dinner I would double this up and make it dinner for both Mother's and Father's Day. Unfortunately my brother and his family opted not to participate, because he thought he couldn't afford it. I couldn't chance ruining my surprise because NO-ONE knew about it. Regardless, dinner was good and I think everyone had a good time.

From dinner on to Ladies Night @ The Harley Dealer. This is my mom's thing. From 6pm-10pm the dealership is turned in to a ladies-only haven with various vendors, drinks, food, and music. This year it was a Vegas Casino Night theme. Mom, my aunt and I went and for whatever reason my mom can't be happy over anything. I don't know why, but she wants to be involved in nothing and just is very unhappy. I hope she finds her way through this moment of hers. We didn't gamble, but we did stand in the most popular line of the night...to see the tarot card readers! It was better than last year. **This is for another post at another time!

Then back home for the night! The munchkin asked my aunt to stay over and we will all go to church together in the morning, because the munchkin has a reading during mass! :) I'm so excited...

Exhaustion and Relief All Rolled Into One

Wow...I did absolutely nothing today. Hell, I didn't get up until my aunt called me around 12:30pm. I had my alarm set for 1pm, just in case. After she called and I got up I was so drained I really couldn't move all day. The combination of finishing this semester and my horribly hacky cough has exhausted me today. Well, I better get lots of sleep tonight, because I have a full day tomorrow...registering the munchkin for next year's soccer, family dinner @ 3pm, and then ladies night at the Harley Dealer @ 6pm. Then I'm back to work 2 days later...Yikes!

On a separate note...I received two pieces of mail from my guy today. :) I almost didn't get my mail today and didn't decide to get it until 9:30pm when I needed a Sweet Tea from McDonalds! I am very happy I opted to go out tonight even though I wasn't up for it and wished I was wearing a burka because I was looking nasty! LOL Anywho...my man was attacked by a co-worker in the kitchen and was almost sent to the hospital as a result. Of course he was sent to the hole (a/k/a segregation) and given a major ticket for fighting, which he has been found guilty on. He sent me all of the documentation because he has filed an appeal, plus he sent me like 3 or 4 letters inside the large envelope and a book that I sent him months and months ago that I said I wanted to read when I was done with classes this summer. The second envelope was a Mother's Day card! Like a real card, one that you or I would buy in the real world. On the inside he asked if he surprised me~~hell yes!! Where do you get such a card in prison and even in seg!?! Even being in the hole my man has tricks up his sleeve!

I have a feeling that I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight...

Amen...It is Finally Over!

I am finally done! I submitted my Crim Pro final at the cut-off time tonight...11:55pm! Yikes! I used the full 4.5 hours. I thought for sure I would be done early...but as always that never happens and I always could really use an extra 30-60 mins. Oh well...c'est la vie!

Of course as soon as I finished my first thought was...gosh, if the munchkin wasn't here I think I would go to the gym. Yeah, that thought disappeared quickly! LOL Watch out next week...

Not only TGIF, but also...Happy Summer! Here I come!! ;)

One Down, One To Go...

Crim Pro must be completed in less than 24 hours....please say a little prayer for me...I will need it! ;) No one knows how glad I'll be when this one is over...

At Least 1 Wrong Answer

Criminal Sentencing is over!! I actually enjoyed the class for the most part. But as always, I'm glad it is over. Of course I made one huge stupid mistake. Needless to say, I will never forget the Tanner Rule again! Ugh....stupid, stupid, stupid me. You know when you are answering a question and you finish and then someone says "Oh yeah, that was "x"..." and you want to slap yourself. Well that was me, because when I answered the question the Tanner Rule never came in to my head. I just thought it was a strange question and gave the only possible answer in my head and it wasn't even close. Shit...and I should have known that too! For 15 weeks I always knew that answer...why the heck it never popped in to my head, even for a consideration as a possible response, you've got me. I wish I knew...

So at least I know I didn't get everything right on my final tonight...hehe ;)

Moments on Hump Day

Well, it is hump day again. Usually I'm a lot peppier for hump day, but not this week. On top of the original "moment" that I was originally suffering from (back over a month ago), which I truly believe I never got over, I'm now having down moments for various reasons. I am primarily down because of all of the family issues and more specifically because of my guy. I'm working on pulling myself out of this funk, but it is never easy...

In an effort to withdraw myself from this funk I'm working on my original to-do list. I accomplished a few of those things Monday (#6, #7, #8, & #9). Well, since a few of those weren't actually solved and crossed off I followed up on them yesterday. I called another exterminator to confirm the prior story and am waiting for a call back. I have also began to look for another fix it guy because my fix-it guy isn't returning my calls. Funny thing is that last night when we were getting ready to go to our Cinco de Mayo dinner someone was handing out flyers about handy-man services. Is this a sign? I guess I should try them, huh? Maybe they can solve my bee problem too.

Well yesterday I accomplished #1 and am working on #2 right now, except I'm skipping the folding and putting it away for now and if it doesn't get done by Friday I'll work on it then. I also went through my papers, but haven't "done" anything with them yet, but I weeded out the garbage so instead of several piles of papers, I'm down to an approximate 7" stack of papers to deal with...making progress y'all!

I know I will eventually pull out of my funk and a special letter in my mailbox would help me immensely! Also finishing my exams will help loads too! I have my Crim Sentencing final tonight @ 6pm and then I HAVE to take my Crim Pro before 11:59pm Thursday. I'm so not prepared, but it is my own fault. Needless to say, good thing I usually respond best under pressure. I'm just hoping that this time is like the others...

Of course the fact that my allergies are trying to smoother me with post-nasal drip (sorry for the nasty part here!) is not helping. It gets worse the later it gets...I'll be glad when the little white fuzzies and flowers stop flying around. :(

Oh yeah...I went through almost all of my emails last night too! I did have over 40 emails and now I'm down to 2 to respond to...that I'm ultra proud of! Yay Me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Happy May 5th! I love today. I have always wanted to celebrate in the heart of the gatherings each year, but since I am almost always in the midst of exams it never happens, but that first year after I'm all done with school and the bar...watch out Cinco de Mayo, here I come!! LOL

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and has the chance to enjoy some chips & salsa and a couple margaritas or cervazas! Too bad I didn't plan ahead and plan a night of treats for the family! Maybe next year.

Munchkin had his first soccer game last night...they lost. :( He was also warned by the coach that if he couldn't get it together he would be sat out for the rest of the game. :( It didn't come down to that, but he gets so damn excited!! And it is like talking to a wall sometimes...

I was also able to get some of my "to do" list done...okay, I called the fix it guy (#6) and left another voice mail, picked up my glasses (#7) and have decided I won't be returning there for my glasses next time, mailed out some documents (#9), and called the exterminator (#8) who told me they won't be coming out because there is a chance that it isn't an active beehive. I will be calling more exterminators today to see if this is a correct response or if the person I spoke to just didn't want to do his job. Still trying to work on #1-5, #10 and #11... Since I'm running out of time I need to get my ass in gear, huh?

Who knew Sundays @ 10pm were so popular

I have came to realize this is an apparently hot time slot on TV for me. Thankfully some of them are repeated later and others can be watched on-line. I would have thought this was the worst time and I used to always attempt to go to bed earliest on Sundays to be "well-rested" for the week. Well, when so many of my shows moved to Sundays at 10pm that whole theory went out the window. LOL

Whatever would be on at 10pm on Sundays you ask...well, let me list them out:

• The Celebrity Apprentice
• The Unit
• Brothers & Sisters
• Army Wives &
• In Plain Sight

Isn't that amazing? Who would have thought... Of course The Celebrity Apprentice only has one more episode left, Army Wives and In Plain Sight are spring/summer/cable shows one of which has only started recently, The Unit is coming to an end (according to TV blogs. :(...) and Brothers & Sisters can be seen on abc.com.

It all works in the end, but it still surprises me that Sundays @ 10pm are so popular for my shows!

Lacking Motivation

Well, with everything going on in life I'm lacking some serious motivation and I need to change that. I swear I think I could sleep for days and days and I'm watching re-runs of NCIS...I think I'm addicted. I think I need semesters to end approximately 2 weeks earlier than they do!

I have a ton of ist to do...just no desire to do any of it. I'm still working on last week's list and added some more:

1. Pick up the house
2. Do laundry (& since I can only do it during the day now~my light switch is not working and I have to call the fix-it guy again this week to come and take care of that problem~I need to get a jump on it!)
   
3. Go through my papers and bills and stuff like that for the week.
4. Get organized for finals
5. & most importantly, get studying for finals!!
6. Call the fix-it guy to work on that damn light switch
7. Pick up my glasses from being repaired, again
8. Call the exterminator for my beehive under my house
9. Mail some documents out tomorrow
10. Get back on WWs....I'm having trouble there too.
11. Take my Crim Pro exam

I'm hoping I go to sleep tonight and wake up totally motivated!

Family Update

Well, I took my uncle to the doctor...no mass in his pancreas as we were fearing; however, there were some abnormalities in the tests, so he has to get additional tests done and return in 2 weeks.  The tests include a bone marrow test, an MRI of his spine, and x-rays of all of his bone joints.  So hopefully we will know more in the next couple weeks...

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

Well, here it is May 1st!  Can you believe it?  It is already the 5th month of 2009.  That scares me a bit.  Life is going so fast and the year is just flying by!  And it has been raining a lot lately so I figured this was an appropriate post to say goodbye to April and hello to May.  

I'm hoping for me, personally, that May is a better month than April was!  Enjoy May y'all!