So...I'm throwing stuff into the compost heap in our backyard, then I get the hoe and mix up some dirt into it. Little did I know I was standing on top of an ant colony the whole time. The ants were all over my shoes and got my ankles good (b/c I wasn't wearing any socks). I had just gone outside quickly to throw leftover H food into the compost hole. Sigh.
The colony was hidden, there wasn't even a mound. I think they moved over from the plants where we had put ant killer before. It seems that along the whole back fence there's ants everywhere. I put ant killer on them again - though it's so windy, that the stuff was getting blown everywhere. I finally just put some water with it and also wet the ground/mound and then dumped it on the dirt. We'll see if they move their colony elsewhere...or if it's a new colony. It package says it's supposed to kill the colony and the queen...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
classic my parents...
so I'm sick again. I woke up yesterday with some congestion in my lungs. (I stayed up late the night before working on stuff & with dh gone, trying to get stuff done.) No runny nose, just stuff in the lungs... then I was up late again last night getting more work done (this time finishing up a client's order)...and today my lungs were rather bad. It was a dry cough and I could taste a tinge of blood. The cough was difficult to supress b/c of the fluid (probably mucus, but not thick) in my lungs. It felt like when you get water in your lungs from stuff going down the wrong pipe. And now I have a strange type of runny nose/drainage. Yes, so not the best of taking care of myself by staying up. Need more sleep so my immune system can work better.
Anyways...so I'm talking to my parents on the phone. And they have these classic responses:
After I coughed, my mom was like "oh are you sick?"
"yes mom, I'm sick."
"You should drink Noni. Are you drinking Noni?" says my mom.
"okay mom."
"I send you a whole case. I buy it for you for your health."
"thanks mom."
"When sick, you need drink Noni once every hour."
"okay mom."
Then my dad, another phone conversation a bit later; I cough.
"oh you're sick," he says.
"yes dad."
"You need to eat apple. Are you eating apple everyday? An apple a day helps your health."
"okay dad."
OR
"Drink Noni once every hour."
"okay dad."
"when sick, that's what you need to do. eat apple, drink Noni."
"okay dad."
Each time anyone is sick...mom's automatic response: "Drink Noni." dad's response: "Eat Apple." and sometimes it's also "Drink Noni." but mostly "Eat apple everyday."
Last time we visited them, my dad fed H apple everyday by scraping a halved-apple with a small spoon and making it puree-ish. It was sorta endearing.
Even a few days ago when I'm telling my mom about H's allergies...
"oh you should give her Noni. It will help her. Noni helps everything. Are you drinking Noni? I send you a case. Did you get the Noni?"
Tahitian Noni Juice is what mom (& now even dad) thinks is the miracle drink/supplement. They think it cures all (and my mind is going...yeah sure...like those potions that ppl used to peddle to unsuspecting fools...) Okay, I'm sure it's probably full of antioxidants and such, but GOSH... It's my mom's cure-all. She even fed H Noni when she was 1st born & only a few days old (without my consent and knowledge)! I flipped out at her. It probably didn't help H's food allergies that we've recently discovered that she has.
My mom called a month ago and said she was sending us a case of Noni. She'd call and ask, "did you get the Noni? Call me when you get the Noni." It didn't get to us until last week. It apparently didn't get delivered to the old address, and so she renewed the order with our new address. So now we have a whole case of 4, actually 2 whole cases of 4 bottles each, since my sister hasn't picked hers up& I forgot to take it to her today/yesterday. And she probably won't end up with them since she's leaving. I can just hear mom now:
"Did you give Cristy her Noni?"
"Why didn't you give Cristy her Noni? I send you two box. One for you, one for her."
Before leaving Cristy's today, we talked at length about the Noni...here's a tidbit:
me: "You didn't pick up the Noni yesterday before you left."
Cris: "Yeah I forgot. You can just keep it."
me: "Mom bought it for you. One case for you, one case for me. She's been asking me if I got it to you."
Cris: "I don't want to drive out there again just for the Noni. I have to study."
me: "I didn't even think about bringing it. I thought you were going to come by the house before you leave. I didn't know you weren't coming back over."
Cris: "Mom won't care."
me: "Oh she will."
Cris: "Yeah, she probably will. oh well."
me: "oh well...we'll see..."
...and the Noni is still sitting by our front door. Though I did open it before writing this post, and drank a bit. My cough is bad enough for me to be motivated to open up the stuff and drink it. It really doesn't taste that bad.
At one time dh was like, "doesn't she know we don't need it? I don't like the taste."
My reply, "She wants us to have it. It's her way of taking care of us."
It is my mom's way. It's not a cheap ticket item either. I knew it was pricey, but I forgot how pricey. I opened up the box and saw the packing slip - it's like $130 for 4 bottles! So that box of 8 Noni juice bottles that was sitting in the foyer for the past week was like $260 just sitting there...wow. about $40 a bottle. that is steep. (and I thought the epi-pen prescription at a $45 co-pay for three epi-pens was steep.) I should calculate the cost per ounce of Noni...that'd probably make me feel more guilty for not drinking it.
And here's a bit of my dad's way. When I wasn't awake to answer the phone and look up the email for what airline dh was flying...my dad did his way of "finding out." He had the email of flight # and equipment...but the times were wrong...and the airline wasn't clear to him in the email... so apparently dad made a bunch of phone calls to the airport - with a starting point of which airlines used a McDonnell Douglas MD80 and eventually got dh's flight info b/c he showed up just as dh was asking me if my parents knew when he got in.
My parents - they have their quirks and their individual ways of showing love. We love them.
Anyways...so I'm talking to my parents on the phone. And they have these classic responses:
After I coughed, my mom was like "oh are you sick?"
"yes mom, I'm sick."
"You should drink Noni. Are you drinking Noni?" says my mom.
"okay mom."
"I send you a whole case. I buy it for you for your health."
"thanks mom."
"When sick, you need drink Noni once every hour."
"okay mom."
Then my dad, another phone conversation a bit later; I cough.
"oh you're sick," he says.
"yes dad."
"You need to eat apple. Are you eating apple everyday? An apple a day helps your health."
"okay dad."
OR
"Drink Noni once every hour."
"okay dad."
"when sick, that's what you need to do. eat apple, drink Noni."
"okay dad."
Each time anyone is sick...mom's automatic response: "Drink Noni." dad's response: "Eat Apple." and sometimes it's also "Drink Noni." but mostly "Eat apple everyday."
Last time we visited them, my dad fed H apple everyday by scraping a halved-apple with a small spoon and making it puree-ish. It was sorta endearing.
Even a few days ago when I'm telling my mom about H's allergies...
"oh you should give her Noni. It will help her. Noni helps everything. Are you drinking Noni? I send you a case. Did you get the Noni?"
Tahitian Noni Juice is what mom (& now even dad) thinks is the miracle drink/supplement. They think it cures all (and my mind is going...yeah sure...like those potions that ppl used to peddle to unsuspecting fools...) Okay, I'm sure it's probably full of antioxidants and such, but GOSH... It's my mom's cure-all. She even fed H Noni when she was 1st born & only a few days old (without my consent and knowledge)! I flipped out at her. It probably didn't help H's food allergies that we've recently discovered that she has.
My mom called a month ago and said she was sending us a case of Noni. She'd call and ask, "did you get the Noni? Call me when you get the Noni." It didn't get to us until last week. It apparently didn't get delivered to the old address, and so she renewed the order with our new address. So now we have a whole case of 4, actually 2 whole cases of 4 bottles each, since my sister hasn't picked hers up& I forgot to take it to her today/yesterday. And she probably won't end up with them since she's leaving. I can just hear mom now:
"Did you give Cristy her Noni?"
"Why didn't you give Cristy her Noni? I send you two box. One for you, one for her."
Before leaving Cristy's today, we talked at length about the Noni...here's a tidbit:
me: "You didn't pick up the Noni yesterday before you left."
Cris: "Yeah I forgot. You can just keep it."
me: "Mom bought it for you. One case for you, one case for me. She's been asking me if I got it to you."
Cris: "I don't want to drive out there again just for the Noni. I have to study."
me: "I didn't even think about bringing it. I thought you were going to come by the house before you leave. I didn't know you weren't coming back over."
Cris: "Mom won't care."
me: "Oh she will."
Cris: "Yeah, she probably will. oh well."
me: "oh well...we'll see..."
...and the Noni is still sitting by our front door. Though I did open it before writing this post, and drank a bit. My cough is bad enough for me to be motivated to open up the stuff and drink it. It really doesn't taste that bad.
At one time dh was like, "doesn't she know we don't need it? I don't like the taste."
My reply, "She wants us to have it. It's her way of taking care of us."
It is my mom's way. It's not a cheap ticket item either. I knew it was pricey, but I forgot how pricey. I opened up the box and saw the packing slip - it's like $130 for 4 bottles! So that box of 8 Noni juice bottles that was sitting in the foyer for the past week was like $260 just sitting there...wow. about $40 a bottle. that is steep. (and I thought the epi-pen prescription at a $45 co-pay for three epi-pens was steep.) I should calculate the cost per ounce of Noni...that'd probably make me feel more guilty for not drinking it.
And here's a bit of my dad's way. When I wasn't awake to answer the phone and look up the email for what airline dh was flying...my dad did his way of "finding out." He had the email of flight # and equipment...but the times were wrong...and the airline wasn't clear to him in the email... so apparently dad made a bunch of phone calls to the airport - with a starting point of which airlines used a McDonnell Douglas MD80 and eventually got dh's flight info b/c he showed up just as dh was asking me if my parents knew when he got in.
My parents - they have their quirks and their individual ways of showing love. We love them.
another late night, early morning...dh's travel adventures...
So here I am again, up at the week hours of the morn...like the past 2 nights, except that tonight, I got to nap from 9:45pm-1:10am since I fell asleep with H. I should be asleep and getting more rest since I'm sick again...coughing up a lung and feeling like they're totally filled with fluid (probably bronchitis complications from the lovely nasty mucus-filled, wet-cough, with fever & congestion viral sickness that I got while moving - I thought I got better, but then I wasn't 100% and the not sleeping the past few days hasn't helped).
I was woken up by dh on the phone asking if my dad knew when to pick him up from the airport and if he needed to call them. I had called them around 9:30pm to tell them that dh finally got on the plane, but mom was going to wk, and dad needed to make a quick trip to the store (random dad), and he said to call him back at 10:30pm. Well I needed to put H to bed, and I subsequently fell asleep with her. I was out, b/c I didn't hear any phone calls until the 1am call that woke me up.
DH's flight was delayed by like 7 hours from PHL to DFW... so the flight ended up departing at the time it was originally scheduled to arrive at its destination: 9:30pm. Good thing dh is doing the overnight thing at DFW and chillin' at my parent's place overnight. Then he'll arrive home (hopefully an on-time flight) tomorrow morning. At least I don't have to pick him up...like last month's (not so fun) travel ordeal.
Oh, don't even get me started. Last month, we decided that I'd take him to the airport and pick him up from the airport - instead of having him park at the airport - save the company some expenses. Well, you'd THINK, hey no prob! It became a huge problem for me! His flight was just slightly delayed from Philly to Houston, and he just barely missed his connecting flight home (which was also delayed, but the wouldn't hold it). On Continental there's lots of flights from Houston to home- every hour in fact. So it should be no problem with getting on the next one. Well, so he got on the next one on stand-by. He called me and told me to head to the airport. I get a call a few minutes later, he's off the flight. huh? HUH? you think. He was sitting in his seat, and then they called him off (with 4 other passengers) because the plane was OVER the weight limit. Alright, whatever.
Well then he was standby on the NEXT flight. We didn't think he'd get on. Well, he got on. He was sitting in his seat, AND once AGAIN, he was pulled OFF the plane! He was one of 2 people that got pulled off. OKAY...he missed his 1st connecting flight, and then gets pulled off the next two planes, AFTER he's already sitting in a SEAT! And there were like 10 empty seats.
So here I am, get a phone call "come pick me up", get the dependent ready, get ready to leave, get another phone call, "don't come pick me up" and this happens over and over. I was totally aggravated. Plus it didn't help that our realtor was calling me every hour or so..."where's your dh?" and updating us on the status of the mortgage and title co and our closing...saying we couldn't close Monday b/c of paperwork delays etc...oh they're rushing to get stuff done...this is partially done..maybe we can close...or no we can't close...
Continental was apparently moving cargo...and they were loading up the planes...and I guess they went over on the weight limit, and when they did, they pulled off passengers?!?! WHATEVER! Like dh even weighs that much to make a difference.
Finally, he got ON the 4th flight (from the original), and I went & waited at the airport to pick him up. The day was supposed to be his vacation day that we could have spent together. We were supposed to go to the botanical gardens and chill, instead, it was spent in a stressed state - waiting and waiting and traveling...and waiting and waiting on phone calls for mortagage and title etc...
What a story, huh? And too bad it's all true.
I was woken up by dh on the phone asking if my dad knew when to pick him up from the airport and if he needed to call them. I had called them around 9:30pm to tell them that dh finally got on the plane, but mom was going to wk, and dad needed to make a quick trip to the store (random dad), and he said to call him back at 10:30pm. Well I needed to put H to bed, and I subsequently fell asleep with her. I was out, b/c I didn't hear any phone calls until the 1am call that woke me up.
DH's flight was delayed by like 7 hours from PHL to DFW... so the flight ended up departing at the time it was originally scheduled to arrive at its destination: 9:30pm. Good thing dh is doing the overnight thing at DFW and chillin' at my parent's place overnight. Then he'll arrive home (hopefully an on-time flight) tomorrow morning. At least I don't have to pick him up...like last month's (not so fun) travel ordeal.
Oh, don't even get me started. Last month, we decided that I'd take him to the airport and pick him up from the airport - instead of having him park at the airport - save the company some expenses. Well, you'd THINK, hey no prob! It became a huge problem for me! His flight was just slightly delayed from Philly to Houston, and he just barely missed his connecting flight home (which was also delayed, but the wouldn't hold it). On Continental there's lots of flights from Houston to home- every hour in fact. So it should be no problem with getting on the next one. Well, so he got on the next one on stand-by. He called me and told me to head to the airport. I get a call a few minutes later, he's off the flight. huh? HUH? you think. He was sitting in his seat, and then they called him off (with 4 other passengers) because the plane was OVER the weight limit. Alright, whatever.
Well then he was standby on the NEXT flight. We didn't think he'd get on. Well, he got on. He was sitting in his seat, AND once AGAIN, he was pulled OFF the plane! He was one of 2 people that got pulled off. OKAY...he missed his 1st connecting flight, and then gets pulled off the next two planes, AFTER he's already sitting in a SEAT! And there were like 10 empty seats.
So here I am, get a phone call "come pick me up", get the dependent ready, get ready to leave, get another phone call, "don't come pick me up" and this happens over and over. I was totally aggravated. Plus it didn't help that our realtor was calling me every hour or so..."where's your dh?" and updating us on the status of the mortgage and title co and our closing...saying we couldn't close Monday b/c of paperwork delays etc...oh they're rushing to get stuff done...this is partially done..maybe we can close...or no we can't close...
Continental was apparently moving cargo...and they were loading up the planes...and I guess they went over on the weight limit, and when they did, they pulled off passengers?!?! WHATEVER! Like dh even weighs that much to make a difference.
Finally, he got ON the 4th flight (from the original), and I went & waited at the airport to pick him up. The day was supposed to be his vacation day that we could have spent together. We were supposed to go to the botanical gardens and chill, instead, it was spent in a stressed state - waiting and waiting and traveling...and waiting and waiting on phone calls for mortagage and title etc...
What a story, huh? And too bad it's all true.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
as i read back over the blog...
i realize, hey! TONS of stuff has happened and we got a lot done!
first off, we closed on tuesday, feb 26th and we're now home owners! yay! we closed a day later than expected (mortgage paperwork delays - not b/c of us, but our lender), but everything worked out, and worked out really well.
we moved...started sleeping in the new house the friday after closing. got our fridge & freezer purchased wednesday evening & delivered on thursday. got our new dining set (purchased in feb) & sectional sofa (purchased right after closing) delivered on friday.
we painted our townhome apt walls back to white and we got the keys to the sublettor. we're getting our full deposit back. address changes, other acct changes...
my critical reminder list for myself is all done...and it was done awhile back. i got the carseat for H even before we moved. utilities were all set up before we moved also...and i got the best kW rates out there with our same electric company (GEXA) & kept our bonus mileage program too! water was set up quickly. we got an amazing deal on our new fridge the week we moved in (which i need to document - good story) AND a great deal on a Casio Privia keyboard which arrived last week.
packing & moving were a bit stressful - the dependent had an anaphylactic reaction to a tiny bit of PB on wheat bread the 1st night of moving while she was over at a friend's & the reaction got worse the next few days, so we were at the doctor's a lot, and i wasn't super hands-on with the packing & moving...
and now unpacking & settling in is going slowly... besides the usual massive job involved with moving... everything being in the garage & all the items that still need to be done with a new home (window treatments, yardwk, baby-proofing, & other random items)... the dependent has confirmed multiple food allergies...and so her diet is restricted and she needs utmost attention to what she ingests.
and i do have lots of unfinished items... business/work items... other items...
at least as of tonight, the photos are all finally downloaded from the cameras... but i haven't been the best at taking photos to document this move...or keeping up with blogging/online stuff...
need more rest... so busy... like a hamster in a wheel...
first off, we closed on tuesday, feb 26th and we're now home owners! yay! we closed a day later than expected (mortgage paperwork delays - not b/c of us, but our lender), but everything worked out, and worked out really well.
we moved...started sleeping in the new house the friday after closing. got our fridge & freezer purchased wednesday evening & delivered on thursday. got our new dining set (purchased in feb) & sectional sofa (purchased right after closing) delivered on friday.
we painted our townhome apt walls back to white and we got the keys to the sublettor. we're getting our full deposit back. address changes, other acct changes...
my critical reminder list for myself is all done...and it was done awhile back. i got the carseat for H even before we moved. utilities were all set up before we moved also...and i got the best kW rates out there with our same electric company (GEXA) & kept our bonus mileage program too! water was set up quickly. we got an amazing deal on our new fridge the week we moved in (which i need to document - good story) AND a great deal on a Casio Privia keyboard which arrived last week.
packing & moving were a bit stressful - the dependent had an anaphylactic reaction to a tiny bit of PB on wheat bread the 1st night of moving while she was over at a friend's & the reaction got worse the next few days, so we were at the doctor's a lot, and i wasn't super hands-on with the packing & moving...
and now unpacking & settling in is going slowly... besides the usual massive job involved with moving... everything being in the garage & all the items that still need to be done with a new home (window treatments, yardwk, baby-proofing, & other random items)... the dependent has confirmed multiple food allergies...and so her diet is restricted and she needs utmost attention to what she ingests.
and i do have lots of unfinished items... business/work items... other items...
at least as of tonight, the photos are all finally downloaded from the cameras... but i haven't been the best at taking photos to document this move...or keeping up with blogging/online stuff...
need more rest... so busy... like a hamster in a wheel...
i'm losing my mind
a few items have been "misplaced" via the move. we've slowly been "rediscovering" items as we unpack. but one main item is still MIA - our blackberry phone charger. ah yes... quite an essential item... still MIA. neither dh or i have any memory files on where the charger could be - probably b/c we left it out intentionally NOT to be packed...and we're surmising it got packed in a random place by someone else.
another MIA is set #2 of key & remote access key to our Impala. that's still MIA. but not from the move - but from our many travels. set #1 was missing for a few months and we were only using set #2. then wonderful dh found set #1 while cleaning out the car when we were visiting my parents in Dallas. then the same weekend we found set #1, i subsequently misplaced/lost set #2. i thought i put it in my coat pocket, but it was nowhere to be found. so many moons later, set #2 is still MIA.
and this weekend, i "misplaced" my wallet. okay, so i just couldn't remember where it was today. anyways after a while afternoon of searching and an evening of stressing, i really didn't know where it was. i thought the house had swallowed it. it seems to have swallowed a lot of other things (...including carrie's cell phone?)
...i finally rediscovered it around midnight tonight... after i was looking to download photos from the point & shoot camera.
so here's process to how i found my wallet:
after being frustrated & stressed...i did some more tidying up (changed the master bed sheets & threw stuff in the closet) and then decided i wanted to download photos. now, i'm looking for the camera.
i couldn't find the point & shoot camera in the usual locations (H's diaper bag, office, counters). then i remembered i had stashed in the SLR bag - for safekeeping. and then there was this rush of memory that came back to me, and i remembered. i had put the p&s camera in the SLR bag Sunday morning. and then i recalled even more...
in the rush to leave the house Sunday morning, i had a bunch of stuff in my hands & arms. i had grabbed my wallet and then proceeded to put it very non-traditional, "odd place" (per dh) - inside my Canon SLR bag. why? b/c it was the bag on me and i didn't have any pockets, and rather than have my wallet free-floating (even more prone to being lost) i put it in one of the side pockets of the many multitudes of pockets & other zippered-compartments on the very handy SLR bag. well, the bag was in the car until the wee hours of the night Sunday, then it was in the master bedroom, and in my cleaning & tidying up Monday morning, I put the SLR bag in the closet of the studio/piano room/empty bedroom. okay. i certainly didn't remember the wallet was in the bag, otherwise, i would have taken it out before storing the SLR bag.
anyways... in summary, i was rather stressed tonight...and really felt like i was losing my mind. i could not for the life of me recall anything about my wallet...apparently until around midnight...
it really felt like my brain had a block. my memory files were inaccessible and the brain was stuck in a single path and not able to use a different search path or method.
another MIA is set #2 of key & remote access key to our Impala. that's still MIA. but not from the move - but from our many travels. set #1 was missing for a few months and we were only using set #2. then wonderful dh found set #1 while cleaning out the car when we were visiting my parents in Dallas. then the same weekend we found set #1, i subsequently misplaced/lost set #2. i thought i put it in my coat pocket, but it was nowhere to be found. so many moons later, set #2 is still MIA.
and this weekend, i "misplaced" my wallet. okay, so i just couldn't remember where it was today. anyways after a while afternoon of searching and an evening of stressing, i really didn't know where it was. i thought the house had swallowed it. it seems to have swallowed a lot of other things (...including carrie's cell phone?)
...i finally rediscovered it around midnight tonight... after i was looking to download photos from the point & shoot camera.
so here's process to how i found my wallet:
after being frustrated & stressed...i did some more tidying up (changed the master bed sheets & threw stuff in the closet) and then decided i wanted to download photos. now, i'm looking for the camera.
i couldn't find the point & shoot camera in the usual locations (H's diaper bag, office, counters). then i remembered i had stashed in the SLR bag - for safekeeping. and then there was this rush of memory that came back to me, and i remembered. i had put the p&s camera in the SLR bag Sunday morning. and then i recalled even more...
in the rush to leave the house Sunday morning, i had a bunch of stuff in my hands & arms. i had grabbed my wallet and then proceeded to put it very non-traditional, "odd place" (per dh) - inside my Canon SLR bag. why? b/c it was the bag on me and i didn't have any pockets, and rather than have my wallet free-floating (even more prone to being lost) i put it in one of the side pockets of the many multitudes of pockets & other zippered-compartments on the very handy SLR bag. well, the bag was in the car until the wee hours of the night Sunday, then it was in the master bedroom, and in my cleaning & tidying up Monday morning, I put the SLR bag in the closet of the studio/piano room/empty bedroom. okay. i certainly didn't remember the wallet was in the bag, otherwise, i would have taken it out before storing the SLR bag.
anyways... in summary, i was rather stressed tonight...and really felt like i was losing my mind. i could not for the life of me recall anything about my wallet...apparently until around midnight...
it really felt like my brain had a block. my memory files were inaccessible and the brain was stuck in a single path and not able to use a different search path or method.
Monday, February 18, 2008
reminders for self
- set up utilities for new place
- compare electric companies: powertochoose.org
- research refrigerators
- research keyboards w/ weighted keys & midi. (digital piano) brands: yamaha & clavinova, casio
- research convertible carseats holding over 50/60 lbs
walk-thru
our walk-thru on the new house was this morning. h was a bit sick and really needed rest, and so i got there later than dh. he was there 1st with the realtor and builder. it's weird that we close next monday. it doesn't feel like we're moving yet. we have had quite a few solid inquiries about subletting our apt. yay for craigslist. and i think there are 2 more solid ones, if the current one's paperwk doesn't go thru, but i think it will. so much happens in a week. i'm so glad that things are falling into place! that's when you know it's "meant to be" and a huge blessing that we're on the right track. dh is also out of town this week - i dropped him off at the airport this afternoon. and somehow dh being gone is stressing me out more than usual... i just have a lot to do...
work on completing client's order, work on taking care of sick dependent, work on prepping the house and packing up, and all the other scheduled things - like rs enrichment on tues, cub scout blue&gold fri, and all the other things that pop up.
and i'm totally behind on h's blog...have a ton of photos to process & post...who knows when that will happen.
(and this is the 50th post!)
work on completing client's order, work on taking care of sick dependent, work on prepping the house and packing up, and all the other scheduled things - like rs enrichment on tues, cub scout blue&gold fri, and all the other things that pop up.
and i'm totally behind on h's blog...have a ton of photos to process & post...who knows when that will happen.
(and this is the 50th post!)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
happy valentine's day!
Yay! We actually did something for Valentine's Day just the two of us this year! Last year we were being discharged from the hospital with H, and drove home on ice. The year before, we were in the middle of travelling and moving me down from NYC, so we were on the plane for most of the day.
We had great sushi tonight! I LOVE SUSHI! And we found this place here that's owned and operated by Japanese ppl and not Korean, Chinese, or Americans. It's totally great! The food was super fresh, creative, and tasty with great textures! Perfect. YUM! We had the Valentine's Chef's special which included a new fave of mine, the Polar Bear Roll - Chef's special. It had salmon, avocado, some tempura crispies, and super white tuna on the outside with a great sauce! The only camera we had was the cell phone, so I'll have to post that pic after I download it.
Thank you to my lil sis who babysat so we could have a night out. We appreciate it a TON! We know you have lots to do...but we actually had a really wonderful date that was long due!
Yipee!
We had great sushi tonight! I LOVE SUSHI! And we found this place here that's owned and operated by Japanese ppl and not Korean, Chinese, or Americans. It's totally great! The food was super fresh, creative, and tasty with great textures! Perfect. YUM! We had the Valentine's Chef's special which included a new fave of mine, the Polar Bear Roll - Chef's special. It had salmon, avocado, some tempura crispies, and super white tuna on the outside with a great sauce! The only camera we had was the cell phone, so I'll have to post that pic after I download it.
Thank you to my lil sis who babysat so we could have a night out. We appreciate it a TON! We know you have lots to do...but we actually had a really wonderful date that was long due!
Yipee!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
need to dos...briefly...
so finally i have a chance to breathe and see what i need to do to catch up...
amazingly she's still sleeping
need to post on H's blog & update it with all her stuff.
need to take 1 yr photos of just her.
need to get 1 yr handprints and footprints.
need to get her 1 year dentist & doctor appts.
...
amazingly she's still sleeping
need to post on H's blog & update it with all her stuff.
need to take 1 yr photos of just her.
need to get 1 yr handprints and footprints.
need to get her 1 year dentist & doctor appts.
...
Thursday, February 7, 2008
stressing...
had the worst headache tonight. got the dependent to sleep at around 8ish, she went down fast. dh was off playing basketball, and i got some tv time to myself. saw the end of the apprentice...and no smallville on earlier...our cw channel was just a black screen. omarosa...gosh. nuff said. celebrity apprentice...haha. it's truly a social experiment. saw the premiere of lipstick jungle and was switching between that and whatever the show on abc is at the same time. lipstick jungle made me miss nyc...and a version of my life in an alternate reality.
so i just realized that i've forgotten to practice violin all week. and that's the impetus for this post. i've been so focused on H's b-day party & other stuff, that i've not practiced. i'm supposed to play some chinese songs in front of hundreds of ppl for this chinese new year celebration this saturday and i'm not ready! the coastal bend chinese assoc asked me to play, and it's not like i know them or they know me...so if i suck...that's BAD!!! it's like a nightmarish "i'm not ready for the test b/c i haven't studied" anxiety. eek! one piece is a-okay b/c i have the melody in my head, but the other piece...i was supposed to listen to it all week and come up with an arrangement, which i haven't done! ahhh!
and tomorrow is supposed to be devoted to cake baking and decorating. and party preparations for saturday. there is not enough time to do everything! i've been editing photos for the past few days in photoshop for the CD that i'm supposed to make for my clients by tomorrow. then i've been researching sugar-free cake recipes & frostings...went grocery shopping and ran errands and i totally forgot about practicing!!! my brain?! where is my brain?!?!
i needed to delegate some of the party stuff, but i didn't. i wanted to do it all b/c i want it really perfect...though it doesn't matter at all b/c she's only turning one year old and doesn't know the difference! ha!
i dunno why i can't focus well...my head hurts...brain feels swollen.
ok...
probably from lack of sleep...
so i just realized that i've forgotten to practice violin all week. and that's the impetus for this post. i've been so focused on H's b-day party & other stuff, that i've not practiced. i'm supposed to play some chinese songs in front of hundreds of ppl for this chinese new year celebration this saturday and i'm not ready! the coastal bend chinese assoc asked me to play, and it's not like i know them or they know me...so if i suck...that's BAD!!! it's like a nightmarish "i'm not ready for the test b/c i haven't studied" anxiety. eek! one piece is a-okay b/c i have the melody in my head, but the other piece...i was supposed to listen to it all week and come up with an arrangement, which i haven't done! ahhh!
and tomorrow is supposed to be devoted to cake baking and decorating. and party preparations for saturday. there is not enough time to do everything! i've been editing photos for the past few days in photoshop for the CD that i'm supposed to make for my clients by tomorrow. then i've been researching sugar-free cake recipes & frostings...went grocery shopping and ran errands and i totally forgot about practicing!!! my brain?! where is my brain?!?!
i needed to delegate some of the party stuff, but i didn't. i wanted to do it all b/c i want it really perfect...though it doesn't matter at all b/c she's only turning one year old and doesn't know the difference! ha!
i dunno why i can't focus well...my head hurts...brain feels swollen.
ok...
probably from lack of sleep...
happy chinese new year!
so it's the lunar new year...the year of the rat.
...called taiwan this morning and talked to my aunt. grandma apparently moved in with my uncle in taoyuan last week, so she wasn't there for me to talk to her...and i didn't realize with dst, the time change made it late there when i called and grandma would've been in bed anyways. but my aunt sent my mom good wishes.
off topic but in the conversation with my aunt: so i have a history of colon cancer...now breast cancer in the family...and heart disease...and high cholesterol...and what else?
we went & looked at the house again yesterday...it'd been awhile since we'd been there (over a week? i was last there on monday 1-28 i think). we met some of our future new neighbors & also saw the inside of the house being built across the street. as of last monday, there was only one house left on the street to be sold. basically 12 families have moved in on that street in december/january. it's a cul de sac - there were lots of kids out playing, 3 basketball hoops set up on the street, and the neighbors seem really friendly. there's lots of sahm's. we close in about 2 weeks. how exciting!
yesterday was overall a really great day for me. i was super productive. i also fell asleep putting hannah down...and so therefore went to bed early. hopefully today is even more productive. but i'm sorta tired since i woke up around 3:30/4am and haven't gone back to bed - wasn't able to sleep.
...called taiwan this morning and talked to my aunt. grandma apparently moved in with my uncle in taoyuan last week, so she wasn't there for me to talk to her...and i didn't realize with dst, the time change made it late there when i called and grandma would've been in bed anyways. but my aunt sent my mom good wishes.
off topic but in the conversation with my aunt: so i have a history of colon cancer...now breast cancer in the family...and heart disease...and high cholesterol...and what else?
we went & looked at the house again yesterday...it'd been awhile since we'd been there (over a week? i was last there on monday 1-28 i think). we met some of our future new neighbors & also saw the inside of the house being built across the street. as of last monday, there was only one house left on the street to be sold. basically 12 families have moved in on that street in december/january. it's a cul de sac - there were lots of kids out playing, 3 basketball hoops set up on the street, and the neighbors seem really friendly. there's lots of sahm's. we close in about 2 weeks. how exciting!
yesterday was overall a really great day for me. i was super productive. i also fell asleep putting hannah down...and so therefore went to bed early. hopefully today is even more productive. but i'm sorta tired since i woke up around 3:30/4am and haven't gone back to bed - wasn't able to sleep.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
why r some ppl...
so good with their time in life, cherishing each moment, maximizing every opportunity, while others are wasteful and channel their energies in negative ways?
been reading news releases, and i just linked to glen beck's tribute to president hinckley and thought it was kind of him to pay tribute on cnn headline news. then i scrolled down to the comments and came across a slew of clutter, from nice comments to really wasteful ones. i use the term wasteful, because the comments were wasteful of time, my time to even have seen them, their time to have written them, and wasteful of the text used to write the message that was not worth the space it took up. they were just so inconsiderate - why? a wonderful man, so respected and precious to so many hearts has passed on, and just leave it be! whether or not it's your faith, whether or not it agrees with your beliefs, whatever the case, if Glen has paid tribute, have the decency and respect to not fill up the comments with useless negative banter!!!
so...that's why i don't have a youtube acct - too much on there...just too much...
i mean it's everywhere with the internet & satellite age...this era and slew of technology and copious amounts of information (like blogs - this particular blog filled with stuff from my mind).
i feel the same about the current state of the media, the entertainment & sports industry, the economy, and the coverage of the presidential campaign. "too much!" i was trying to watch a bit the past few weeks, trying to read and stay current, but here's soooo much "noise" out there. media commenting on this or that. opinions opinions, opinions here and there and everywhere. predictions, polls, opposition to this or that. judgment and criticism of this or that. negativity. stress. conflict. no wonder people exacerbate existing conditions and have health issues.
i admire all of the candidates and what they are doing...running for office, in the public eye, sharing parts of themselves with the nation, putting themselves out there, trying to make or take their place in the world, in history. that's a big deal, no matter whether you win or lose, whether you're popular or the underdog. the process - it's a big deal.
but let's just pause here. i mean would all of those people, media people, entertainment people, political people, everyday people...you included...live their life the way they are currently living life, if they knew they only had a day, a week, a few months, or even a year left of life? how would YOU live your life if you knew your time was limited? what about EXTREMELY limited?
well...all of our lives here on this earth are limited. no one knows when time here is up, but all i can say is, you better live it to the best of your ability. not to throw caution to the wind and do destructive things. but to be good, and decent, and make the world a better place because you were in it and breathed the air and drank the water and ate the fruits of the earth. to truly be doing the things you WANT to do and SHOULD be doing. to really choose each and everyday those things that are most precious and important, to do those essential things, to cherish this particular moment...whatever moment that may be, exactly, right now. what matters the most to you? what are things that you haven't done, but should do? how would you change your life or would you even change anything at all? what have you done with your time in this precious mortal life?
been reading news releases, and i just linked to glen beck's tribute to president hinckley and thought it was kind of him to pay tribute on cnn headline news. then i scrolled down to the comments and came across a slew of clutter, from nice comments to really wasteful ones. i use the term wasteful, because the comments were wasteful of time, my time to even have seen them, their time to have written them, and wasteful of the text used to write the message that was not worth the space it took up. they were just so inconsiderate - why? a wonderful man, so respected and precious to so many hearts has passed on, and just leave it be! whether or not it's your faith, whether or not it agrees with your beliefs, whatever the case, if Glen has paid tribute, have the decency and respect to not fill up the comments with useless negative banter!!!
so...that's why i don't have a youtube acct - too much on there...just too much...
i mean it's everywhere with the internet & satellite age...this era and slew of technology and copious amounts of information (like blogs - this particular blog filled with stuff from my mind).
i feel the same about the current state of the media, the entertainment & sports industry, the economy, and the coverage of the presidential campaign. "too much!" i was trying to watch a bit the past few weeks, trying to read and stay current, but here's soooo much "noise" out there. media commenting on this or that. opinions opinions, opinions here and there and everywhere. predictions, polls, opposition to this or that. judgment and criticism of this or that. negativity. stress. conflict. no wonder people exacerbate existing conditions and have health issues.
i admire all of the candidates and what they are doing...running for office, in the public eye, sharing parts of themselves with the nation, putting themselves out there, trying to make or take their place in the world, in history. that's a big deal, no matter whether you win or lose, whether you're popular or the underdog. the process - it's a big deal.
but let's just pause here. i mean would all of those people, media people, entertainment people, political people, everyday people...you included...live their life the way they are currently living life, if they knew they only had a day, a week, a few months, or even a year left of life? how would YOU live your life if you knew your time was limited? what about EXTREMELY limited?
well...all of our lives here on this earth are limited. no one knows when time here is up, but all i can say is, you better live it to the best of your ability. not to throw caution to the wind and do destructive things. but to be good, and decent, and make the world a better place because you were in it and breathed the air and drank the water and ate the fruits of the earth. to truly be doing the things you WANT to do and SHOULD be doing. to really choose each and everyday those things that are most precious and important, to do those essential things, to cherish this particular moment...whatever moment that may be, exactly, right now. what matters the most to you? what are things that you haven't done, but should do? how would you change your life or would you even change anything at all? what have you done with your time in this precious mortal life?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
feeling blue
so today it was confirmed that my mom has breast cancer. i know that there are lots of breast cancer survivors, so at first i was totally fine...
then little things all started adding up... talking to my sister......and then my aunt r who called...so then it was a conference call & my sister's comment on what life would be like without mom and how we'd miss her...then discovering the dependent having a chipped tooth - feeling like a bad mom b/c i have no idea how & when she got it...and thinking about president hinckley's passing and remembering his funeral from this weekend... the tears were freely flowing by the end of the service in the conference center.
anyways...
we've been really busy and i haven't had tons of blogging time/opportunities. last week lots happened...and online time was spent doing other stuff...
i guess i could wax prolific... b/c i could reflect on a lot of stuff close to my heart... but i'm not feeling up to it... i don't have much to say... no eloquence... so i'm going to stop now...
then little things all started adding up... talking to my sister......and then my aunt r who called...so then it was a conference call & my sister's comment on what life would be like without mom and how we'd miss her...then discovering the dependent having a chipped tooth - feeling like a bad mom b/c i have no idea how & when she got it...and thinking about president hinckley's passing and remembering his funeral from this weekend... the tears were freely flowing by the end of the service in the conference center.
anyways...
we've been really busy and i haven't had tons of blogging time/opportunities. last week lots happened...and online time was spent doing other stuff...
i guess i could wax prolific... b/c i could reflect on a lot of stuff close to my heart... but i'm not feeling up to it... i don't have much to say... no eloquence... so i'm going to stop now...
president hinckley
will be dearly missed. president hinckley holds such a dear place in so many hearts, mine included.
so we will move forward in faith with president monson.
so we will move forward in faith with president monson.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
amazing what can change
in a very very short period of time! this morning we thought we were going forward with the purchase of a ~1640 sqft 4b/2b home built in 2000. we were trying to negotiate the repairs on the patio roof & some windows (post-inspection). the seller had totally agreed to some terms a few days ago, and then today the seller decided he didn't want to repair anything, and took back stuff he'd said he'd do - going back to the original contract. so basically it ended negotiations and we're pulling out.
which was funny b/c both of us felt relieved. we felt relief. lol. of course we were perplexed very briefly, pondered what the seller could be experiencing...frustration, yes. we had just asked for extended time on our options period to get repair quotes to find the best rate... but with all of the going back and forth (probably an issue of how his realtor presented stuff - it's like the telephone game with the middle-men) who wouldn't get frustrated?
so we thought about how much we wanted the house...and we both seemed blase...it was nice...yes we wanted it b/c the location & area was nice, the backyard fence opening with access to the park...nice covered patio...yes it'd be nice to have a plasma TV in the deal...but NO we weren't sad about not having the house, b/c it wasn't what we really really wanted...it was like, ok let's move on to the next one...
now what does that mean? it means that we subsequently went back to exploring our options, and we discovered a wonderful opportunity & GREAT deal! as of 3pm this afternoon, we're buying a NEWly CONSTRUCTED home! YAY! and i'm TOTALLY EXCITED & HYPER & HAPPY! so THIS is how I'm supposed to feel when it's RIGHT. we're BOTH totally excited!
these homes were ones that I wanted back in May...and we did some color & options selections, but then the final answer we decided was no, we needed to wait. then after moving here and renting...and exploring more options as we resumed our house hunt, i still really liked these homes and their energy efficiency...after our options exploration earlier this week, and finding out more information, we followed up again today.
long story short...the retail price tag had always been the issue with dh. but today we were able to find one at a great deal which we didn't think could happen. it was a no-brainer. so now we're buying a new construction ~1840sqft 4b/2b home with a great kitchen (corian counters, stainless steel appliances), great master suite & bath (garden tub, big & spacious), and great floor plan for us.
happiness!
which was funny b/c both of us felt relieved. we felt relief. lol. of course we were perplexed very briefly, pondered what the seller could be experiencing...frustration, yes. we had just asked for extended time on our options period to get repair quotes to find the best rate... but with all of the going back and forth (probably an issue of how his realtor presented stuff - it's like the telephone game with the middle-men) who wouldn't get frustrated?
so we thought about how much we wanted the house...and we both seemed blase...it was nice...yes we wanted it b/c the location & area was nice, the backyard fence opening with access to the park...nice covered patio...yes it'd be nice to have a plasma TV in the deal...but NO we weren't sad about not having the house, b/c it wasn't what we really really wanted...it was like, ok let's move on to the next one...
now what does that mean? it means that we subsequently went back to exploring our options, and we discovered a wonderful opportunity & GREAT deal! as of 3pm this afternoon, we're buying a NEWly CONSTRUCTED home! YAY! and i'm TOTALLY EXCITED & HYPER & HAPPY! so THIS is how I'm supposed to feel when it's RIGHT. we're BOTH totally excited!
these homes were ones that I wanted back in May...and we did some color & options selections, but then the final answer we decided was no, we needed to wait. then after moving here and renting...and exploring more options as we resumed our house hunt, i still really liked these homes and their energy efficiency...after our options exploration earlier this week, and finding out more information, we followed up again today.
long story short...the retail price tag had always been the issue with dh. but today we were able to find one at a great deal which we didn't think could happen. it was a no-brainer. so now we're buying a new construction ~1840sqft 4b/2b home with a great kitchen (corian counters, stainless steel appliances), great master suite & bath (garden tub, big & spacious), and great floor plan for us.
happiness!
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