Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Happy B-Day Gretel Olivia!


My little girl is no longer a little girl. OK, she will always be *my* baby, but now that she is 2, she is considered a doggie and not a puppy.

Gretel Olivia turned 2 today! It seems crazy that we have had her for two years now. It seems just like yesterday that we drove to pick her up in West Salem. When Daisy died, I vowed I never wanted another female pug, because she had been my best friend and nothing could replace her. Her death was so sudden, and I took it really hard. I was depressed, cried a lot when I went to bed, and missed her so much. I was really angry she had been taken from me so suddenly. Kurt really thought getting another little girl would help me. So, he researched online and finally found a fawn female in West Salem, which is a pretty far drive from our house. So, one night, we jumped in the Carerra, and drove there. Once I laid eyes on Gretel, I fell in love. She was so tiny, the smallest pug I had ever seen. She made me feel so much better about the death of my best friend, because I had someone new to love and take care of and get to know. Nothing will ever replace Daisy Lou, but Gretel Olivia holds a different place in our hearts that I love.

She got a cheeseburger for her birthday from Burger King. She is different from the boys though, in that we bring it home to her, because she is a strange dog and does not like car rides (they make her nervous).

Work was so slammed today. We had a pretty light calendar, but people kept calling and stopping in, and it took up a lot of our time. Had court on two cases today, but nothing major happened in either case. Sometimes, I wonder how people can be so stupid in their divorce cases though. I met with a lady today, long term marriage, one kid. Her husband makes a lot of money, and she was a stay at home Mom. Anyway, I ran some numbers for her on the phone previous to the appointment, and she tried to talk to her husband about the possibility of settling previous to us filing anything. Well, he basically told her to screw off. I looked at the numbers she offered and they are far less than what she should be getting. His getting angry simply made her angry and made her want to fight for what she truly should be getting. OK. What a moron.

Came home, made dinner, then worked out. I thought when I woke up this morning that I totally was not sore. But, as the day went on, I started feeling the workout more. It's nice because I was feeling sore in the spots I worked out last night, so I guess I know I am doing the exercises properly.......:).

Monday, January 29, 2007

My Gym


OMG, having a gym in the basement is SOOO awesome. And working our with my husband is amazing too. We used to work out together in Bay City, Lansing, and Taylor, but since then, we have worked out separately, or not at all during my law school stint. Anyway. I forgot how much fun it is to work out with a partner.


So. I am going to start a new page and link it in my sidebar to track my workouts. Today, I ran 2 miles, did abs, and then did chest and back exercises with Kurty. We watched Jeopardy and then Deal or No Deal. It was awesome having a TV down there too. We still need to do some odds and ends in there, but overall, I love it. Need to buy batteries for the top part of my recumbant bike, and need to buy something to pump up my ab balls......


I am so going to hurt tomorrow, and I so don't care. Yay.


Work today was crazy busy, as most Mondays are. Lots of phone calls and appointments and Kurt had court all morning. No interesting hearings to report on though. Ended one divorce, and the Judge in another case referred it to Mediation.

So weird too, we were talking about getting a refrigerator for the gym and literally an hour later, Rebecca sends me an email regarding a friend of hers who is moving and the fact that has a frig to give Rebecca (who is in turn probably giving it to us). How ironic. It will be nice to store Propel and other water down there.
I am so sleeping well tonight. I am falling asleep right now, and What About Brian is on!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

First Snowfall of Newport


So.....Saturday, I slept in, then got up and went into the office for most of the afternoon. Rebecca met me there around I think 430 p.m. and we ran some errands I needed to run. I picked up my new can opener (with 20% off coupon) from Bed Bath and Beyond, and we went to two Dunham's to look for this flooring Kurt needed to finish the basement. He needed 3 packages and we only found two. Boo. But, today, Kurt and I stopped at a Dunham's in Canton and found the last one. Yay.

Kurt and Kory worked on the gym basement most of the day yesterday and part of the night today. And, tada, it's done! I will take pics another time and post. It's awesome. It looks like a real gym! No, it does not have the luxuries of Rebecca's gym, but to me, it's better because it's in my basement, I can watch what I want on TV, and it has everything I need. Kurt ended up putting in a closet, where he is storing my medicine and other workout balls. We bought a TV today at Rex in Monroe and hooked it up to our satellite. So, tomorrow, I will be starting my workouts and keeping track of those and my progress. Can't wait.

Today, we went to lunch for my Grama's birthday, which is tomorrow. We went to this place in Livonia called O'Charley's. I had soup and salad and I bought my Grama a really kewl ring from Kohl's. She loved it. My two aunts were at dinner, my Dad, Grama, and me and Kurt. It was fun.

Saturday night, we had a fun dinner. We went to Dolce Vita, which now has sushi, YAY. There are no sushi places in Monroe, so I was psyhced to find out that they are now serving it. And, it was super good, especially considering they are serving it at an Italian place. We started to watch a movie, John Tucker Must Die, but Kurt thought it was stupid, so we ended up turning it off. Speaking of movies, Rebecca and I watched Little Black Book before dinner, and it was hilarious. I loved it. Really lighthearted, cute movie.

I went outside and took some pics of the snow. We had our first major snowfall here today. Which only equates to about 2 inches, but still. Click here to see them, they are the first nine pictures. I am shocked I went out in that weather, but, for a picture, I will do just about anything. ;). I hate to admit snow is pretty, because I can't stand winter, but it is the one, and only positive thing I can say about snow.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Welcome Home Rebecca!

Rebecca is home, Rebecca is home! Yay! Even though I have not seen her, I get to at least message and email her and text her. Hooray! Welcome homee girlie! Glad you at least got to go someplace, even if I had to suffer in Michigan, all alone. :).

I forgot to post about my friend, Julia, the other day. She just finished school and is studying for the bar exam, and got a job offer! She had been working at this place called Valeo (auto related) and they told her at first because of budget constraints, they could not offer her a job. Then, one of the attorneys quit and they offered her the position. I am so psyched! It's rare to have a job all set up like that BEFORE passing the bar. It really takes some pressure off...Congrats Jules! Get back to me about celebrating.

So, tonight was fairly productive. I came home to my shower curtain found! Apparently, Kory did not throw it away, and he found it in his room in a garbage bag. So I threw it in the washer with hot water and bleach. Hopefully, it gets clean, although it has been in that bag for several weeks.....We will see. I hope I can just rehang it. I finally called in on Kurt's computer too, and I have to send it in for repairs, which are no longer under warranty since we have had the computer for over 4 years. The video card and mother board need to be replaced. Lovely. But, it is less money then I expected, and so we are going to have it replaced instead of buying a new one. To replace Kurt's computer would be pretty pricey because he has upgraded everything.......They are sending a box on Monday or Tuesday and we should have it back within a week. Yay. Also, made dinner, put some dishes in the dishwasher AND switched over the laundry. How's that for me being domestic on a Friday night?

I made crab rangoons with rice for dinner. It made me think about Kendra. :(. She should live here.....We had those for lunch last weekend and they were SOOO good. Better than the ones I made, but mine were good.

I need a new can opener. Mine for some reason does not seem to be working. I have no idea how a manual can opener breaks, but mine is really old. We have prob had it for like 10 years....Any suggestions, you kitcheny peeps? I found one on Amazon that looks nice.... but I have no can opener buying experience. Ha.

Nothing too amusing at the office today for me to post about. We had no court today, somehow. So it was nice to be in the office drafting and trying to catch up on calls and the like.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Lesbians in Love

So, today, Kurt had an interesting and somewhat amusing hearing.

We filed a divorce a while back, and had an Ex-Parte Order signed at the start giving our client 4 days with the child one week, 3 days the next week. The Mom objected to the Order and asked for a hearing. Today was that hearing.

Our client had told us that his wife was living with her girlfriend. Yes, she is now a lesbian. She was exposing their daughter to this. Judges really hate, during a divorce anyway, when you bring your significant other around kids, let alone LIVE with them. He had videotape of this relationship (he bugged the house while they were still married).

She had not told her lawyer about this. So, instead of bringing it up, Kurt decided to use this as his "wild card" and kept the info quiet. He knew if they had time to discuss the info beforehand, they would come up with some story, like the woman was a friend, or whatever.

So, during his argument, he announces that she is a lesbian and living with her girlfriend, and he has videotape footage. Kurt says the other attorney literally *gasped* and stepped back. LOL. She tried to deny it and her client says "I am a lesbian. I live with my girlfriend and we just signed a year lease. I am not breaking it." Kurt was thinking in his head "THANK you for admitting this on the record......No need to prove my case here." Ha. The Referee told her that her girlfriend needed to move out. I wonder if she will listen or we will be in court on this again?? One can only wait and see.....my prediction is she will not listen.

Had a school board meeting tonight. We got t-shirts from the girls varsity color guard that are really nice. Also got cookies for board appreciation week. The meeting went well.

Grey's was great tonight. Can't wait to see if Christina says yes and what happens with the George situation in which I hope Callie says no. One should never say yes to a marriage proposal when someone is in the state George is in.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

World Record


So.

Incredible things are happening at our house. The oven? It was used two days in a row. Yes, yes it was. I made two meals in a row. In the oven. This is truly a remarkable thing.

Ha.

So yesterday morning, I had my first multiple hearing day. Also, I had my first hearings at the Friend of the Court. Everything went well, and I was especially pleased with one hearing. Here are the deets:

Child: Age 6, boy.
My client: Dad, has not been allowed to see the child much in 6 years, and has gotten nowhere asking for parenting time himself.
Other side: Mother. Control freak. Has enjoyed having complete control over parenting time for 6 years. Pregnant with third child, only 23 years old. No lawyer, representing herself.

We filed a Motion for specific parenting time and reduction in child support. Went in front of the referee and advised what was going on. Said we wanted specific schedule. Referee asks other side what she wants, she agrees with me. OK. She also says, I will agree to whatever you want, Mr. Referee. OK. I jump all over that. I tell the referee we want every other week in the summer (which is VERY rare) and every other weekend during the school year. The Ref asks her if this is OK and she just says YES. I am thinking, WHY are we in court? Anyway, my client was thrilled and the time starts this weekend. Strange. I usually have to argue more than that. Which would have been none. Gotta love those cases.

Oh, and everyone welcome home my laptop! After vacay, I took it in for repairs. They called me becausse they needed my restore disks, and I could not find them at first. Finally found them and took them in and picked up the finished product today! I am beyond thrilled to be sitting on my couch and typing and watching American Idol. Now I just need to get Kurt's fixed, which requires calling Dell, which is basically my worst hell. I hate calling there.

I think that's about all going on in the household in the past couple days......I miss having Rebecca around to talk to! Damm her going on a cruise....

For all those who read this who are wondering how she is doing though, she emailed me today from an Internet Cafe and she is having a great time. She says she is getting an awesome tan, and today, her and her Mom were on shore in the Bahamas and were going to Atlantis to a casino and aquarium. I am so jealous! She also advised that she bought Kurt three bottles of foreign rum, so he will be psyched.

Pictures


The rest of the pics are downloaded from the 1st birthday party for Maya and Nora.

Click here to see them.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Important Events in Life



My husband actually suggested going to bed early tonight.

How could one not be aware that What About Brian is on at 10 p.m.? Like very important episode tonight. Marjorie is back in town...How will everyone react?

Picture above is of my friend, Kerry's daughter, Nora. So freaking cute.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The Case of the Missing Shower Curtain

So, while I was cleaning this weekend, I went upstairs to change the sheets and blanket on a spare bed, and do some other odds and ends upstairs. I walked into my spare bathroom up there, which is the one that Kory uses and guests who stay the night. This bathroom is awesome. I designed the entire thing, and it's all done chrome and is kinda retro modern........I love it. I wanted a spa like feel, so the towels and shower curtain are white, and I searched for this shower curtain forever. Here is a pic of something similar, but mine was thicker and slightly different. And, it was like $50. So. Walked in the bathroom, AND........

No shower curtain. In it's place? An extremely tacky shower curtain--covered in palm trees. I think if you click here, you will see it. And sorry to any of you who do the palm tree decorations-they may work in some bathrooms. But, not in this one for sure. Yes, the colors were green and somewhat matched my bathroom colors. I do not argue that. But.....No. My house is not a college dorm or party freaking central. Everything I buy I really think about, try and find a great deal on quality stuff. I am slightly anal about it (as you can tell).

I went downstairs and said to Kurt "Do you know where my shower curtain is?" He says no. I tell him the situation upstairs. He goes upstairs and is like "No. This has got to go." I then knew I was not going insane and that the shower curtain really was that awful. What I did not know was 1--how the new one got up there, and 2--WHY it was up there. I hopefully looked in the closet for my old one, in the hopes I could put it up again. Nope, nothing.

Texted Kory. Who texts me back and says "It was getting dirty, so I bought a new one.." Umm, they can be washed. It was fabric and machine washable. I was so freaking annoying. More because it was expensive and I looked for so long for the perfect one. And two because it was replaced with something totally horrible.

I think Kory could tell I was annoyed, LOL. And I will be embarassed, until I get out to the home stores and replace it. I don't want people to actually THINK I would hang something so hideous.....I will try to take a pic of the new one and post on here, so you all can see I am not nuts.

It is really weird how one small piece of a bathroom can make it go from modern retro spa to college party dorm central.

Sigh. What I go through to finish this house.

Where Did the Weekend Go?

I did so much this weekend, but still feel like I did not get a weekend. I can't wait until this workweek is over so I can relax next weekend.

Saturday, I went grocery shopping. I bought so much. Our house was pretty much, umm, empty, and I bought stuff to fill it and bought double so I dont have to go back for a while. I hate grocery shopping......Got home, helped Kurt clean the rest of the afternoon, and then everyone got here. Kendra, my niece; Keith my brother in law, and Kellie, my sister in law. Kory was at the auto show all day and got back right before they did. We had a fun night. They looked at my Costa Rica pics and then we went to dinner at Quatro's. Dinner was really nice, and Kurt taught Kellie how to play Keno. LOL. Came home and we bought a movie on Pay Per View called The Little Man. Kurt and Kendra picked it out. It was really idiotic, but our family will have fun watching anything, so we made it amusing. After that, we all talked and went to bed.

Today, we woke up and Kendra and I headed to Briarwood Mall, while everyone else headed to Cabela's (which is where Kory works). Kendra and I walked the mall, then headed downtown to go to Urban Outfitters. I had never been there before and loved it. Then we had Chinese for lunch, and walked the mall some more. Everyone met us later in the day, and they headed home, while Kory and I headed back to our house. Rebecca was here when we got there, and her and I headed to get pedicures. She wanted one for her cruise, and I just really needed one. I don't get them as much in the winter, but I like to every once in a while. Went to a new place at the mall, and I did not really like it as much as my normal place (which is not open on Sunday). Came home and went to dinner at Red Lobster, and then watched our normal Sunday night TV (i.e. Desperate Housewives, Intervention). Rebecca then left, because she has a plane to catch in the morning.

So, what I got at the mall. I actually bought myself a few things, which is rare. At Urban Outfitters, I bought an adorable t-shirt that says "Vegetarians Have More Fun". I then bought a little book called Pug Mugs, which is freaking hilariously cute. Also bought this great air freshener for my car that has an anti-Bush little saying on it. So me. Can't find a pic of that though. Let's see.....then, Bath and Body Works was having a sale, so I bought three body sprays, and Victoria's Secret was having a sale, so I bought some body sprays and two new bras--one black and one white. Really cheap. Oh, I got this great new nail polish (which I put on tonight) at the MAC counter in Macy's called Sacred White. Also bought a make-up brush for eye shadow and some brush cleaner. I think that's it..........It was a fun day, and I love spending time with Kendra when I can, because I rarely get to see her. It's hard to believe she is 18 now!

Friday, January 19, 2007

Clean

So......after so many weeks of *saying* in my sidebar that I need to clean and have no motivation, we finally did clean tonight. We are not totally done, but got mostly everything taken care of. Even did some things we rarely do. Yay. I hate cleaning, but always like when we are done.

I finished putting all the photos in my new album and I love it. It is so nice. And it's kewl to look at my pics in an album and not only online. They make me want to go back to Costa Rica though.....

Work was annoying. I felt like I worked so hard, but did not get much done. We were working on Chapter 13 stuff for Confirmation Hearings next week. So time consuming. I hate all the rules with the 13s. Ugh.

Anyway, gotta get back to my laundry......

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Short Post so I Can Sleep


I am taking the cue from Heather and trying to get to bed early. OK, it's 1028 p.m., so apparently, I don't follow rules as well as she does....

Anyway. Got home and my new photo album is here! And it's so gorgeous and nice. Love it. I am working on putting all my trip pics in it, but it's going to take a while. I highly recommend the site I bought it from. The thing is gorgeous and custom. Click here to see the site if you need an album in the future.

Went to a birthday party after work which was held for Nora and Maya. Two 1st birthdays. So cute. I took pics, but am too tired right now to download....I will post a link once I do that. The party was fun, and I got to see two of my favorite friends, Marla and Kerry, and their husbands.....The kids eating birthday cake was hilarious. Maya even had it in her hair. It was a hit though, both girls loved cake! Ha. Sara only ate the frosting, which I thought was hilarious.

Anyway, off to bed with me!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Happy Birthday Sweetie!


It's my niece's 18th birthday today! Happy birthday Kendra Kaye! Can't wait to see you this weekend. We can celebrate then........

Went to my Monroe County Board of Directors School Board meeting tonight. It was really interesting. I learned a lot about the schools in the county. The people on the board were really nice and inviting as well. I enjoyed it a lot and am happy to help out my own board my attending.

And my hair looked great. That is really important you know.

Ha.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Jungle Fantasy


Saw a show at the Fisher tonight with my Aunt that was part of our season tickets...It was called Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy. Anyway, great show. Nothing like Vegas, but pretty damn good for being a travelling show. We both really liked it. Had dinner beforehand in the Fisher theatre, I had a salmon ceasar salad which was super yummy.

Work today was better than yesterday but really, really busy. We had a lot of appointments at the end of the day, and during those appointments, about 5 other clients stopped in without appointments to review documents, ask questions, etc. On top of that, I had to leave at 5:55 p.m. for dinner in Detroit. It was a relief to drive away.

I got a call today from the school board President, wanting me to take over a position on the County board for a board member who can no longer fill the position. So, I am going to start doing that. The meetings are less often than my normal board meetings. I guess there is one member from each school board in Monroe County, and we vote on countywide type things. That's tomorrow night. So, I am excited to start doing some more with my school board position.

Monday, January 15, 2007

My Love


Soooo, I found out Billy Joel is coming to Detroit in May. And I really wanted to buy presale tickets, but did not get any of the emails I normally get on this. But, this morning, my friend, Lisa, emailed me with a link she got at work! I was so psyched. She rocks. Called right away and ordered tickets for me and Kurt and then Rebecca called and ordered tickets for her and her Mom! So, we are all going. How kewl. I heart Billy Joel. When I saw him in Vegas, it was my fav concert ever, and can't wait to see him again. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. That is me jumping up and down.

Today was crazy. I was so happy after a productive Sunday and then I had a hellacious Monday. I swear, sometimes we go through these spells at the office where everyone is totally acting insane. One client came in today, we are doing a divorce for her. There is absolutely nothing going on in her case except an upcoming hearing to end it all. Well, apparently she never got the notice in the mail from the court regarding her hearing. She was throwing an absolute fit about it. (like this is my fault). Then, she was saying she had called the office a TON of times and nobody called her back. I checked our messages, she had called twice, and I returned both calls, but had to leave messages. She was insisting we never called her back and was again, throwing a fit. I just did not get it. Some people just like to bitch I think. Finally, we somehow calmed her down, but it was exasperating.

Then, at 6 p.m. tonight, Kurt had an appointment with a guy who thought he wanted a Power of Atty drafted. What he really needs is a Trust, because he is trying to make sure his estate does not go through probate and that his son is personal rep. He was basically telling Kurt (who has an LLM in Tax Law and is an expert in this area), that he did not know what he was talking about. Then telling Kurt that he was too expensive. Umm, we are like the cheapest around. The guy had brought his son, who was trying to explain to the Dad that Kurt was correct, but the guy was not listening and basically stormed out. Sometimes, I feel like we get no thanks whatsoever. We stay after hours to meet with someone, give him a free consultation and all we get is "you don't know what you are talking about" and someone storming out the door muttering. Nice.

I really need to find some sort of stress outlet too. When someone is annoying me on the phone, I have this horrible habit of throwing post-its, pens, whatever, at the wall. I really need a ball or something that I can throw. I end up with 100 things all over the floor and then I have to pick them up. It is therapeutic though, and it helps me keep my calm on the phone when someone is driving me insane. Today, I was talking to a guy who would just not shut up about his case. He calls ALL THE TIME and will not let us hang up. He wants to recap his case 1000 times to us before court and we only needed to hear it once to begin with. AHHHH. I think he thinks we don't know his case well enough because Kurt did not meet with him for three hours to discuss his case, over 30 minutes. We generally don't need three hours. Ok, we NEVER EVER need three hours. Judges don't want to hear every detail of our clients lives....they want the facts, the bare minimum, and then make a decision. Why don't some people get this?

I need to just keep remembering the good parts of my job.

OK, I am done venting. :). Tomorrow should be better. It has to be. These crazy days usually don't happen more than one day in a row.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Golden Globes

My friend Megan has started a Group on MSN to play to see who can guess the winners of the Golden Globes tomorrow night. If you think you know your stuff when it comes to the movies of 2006 and think you can beat me at it, go to:

http://andthewinneris.tv.msn.com/default.aspx

The Group is called "Megan's Gang" and the password is "weather".

Please join in!!

It plays sort of like Fantasy Football - where you will win points for how many you get right.

You have to join and select your choices at least 5 minutes before the Gold Globes tomorrow night to be eligible.

The Nonsuckiness of Work on a Sunday


We slept in today, but then headed to the office. I usually hate working on the weekend, but today was actually nice. I got SOO much done. I think it's because the phone does not ring on Sundays, so I can concentrate and have no interruptions. Yay. I drafted about 4 new bankruptcies, as well as a bunch of other family law documents...I feel like it was totally worth it to go up there with Kurt today.

Rebecca decided to come over tonight after all! She should be here shortly and we are going to watch Desperate Housewives together. We are both just dying to know who Gabi's stalker is.....I know, we are pathetic. But hey, I love smut TV! I can't help myself.

I talked to my Mom yesterday and I guess my sister (who is engaged) has decided on June for her wedding. There is a hall my Mom wants to use and it is only available one weekend in June, so the wedding will either be that weekend or in August. they haev started looking at bridesmaid dresses and stuff like that online. I am really hoping she picks out a dress that is something I can wear again. And I am hoping the color is BLACK. But, it's not my decision. :). Whatever she picks will eb fine, I am sure. She is totally not the bride that picks out ugly dresses in order to make herself look better, thank God. They will prob have the wedding shower down here, so I am glad for that. It's weird to me that my little sister is getting married. She is only two years younger than me, but to me, she is still like 16 years old and not old enough to get married! She wants to get pregnant right away too....So strange. So, if she does, I will be an Aunt in the really near future. A real Aunt anyway. I already am an Aunt to all my friends' kids.

Speaking of friends' kids, Marla is having a little party for Maya's first b-day this week. They are moving soon, so she had said no gifts, but instead since everyone is insisting, she is asking for gift cards. Maya won't know the difference since she is only one, and then marla can buy stuff once they move for Maya's room and stuff. They are having a house built in Interlochen, and she sent me pics today! There is a TON done. It won't be long before they can move in, I bet. I am so happy they are getting into a house again. While they were down here, they were living in an apartment and it was totally not enough room for their family and Marla hated it.

I need to make another to-do list like I did previously. Kurt and I have so many odds and ends to do around the house and office.

1. Order a spare tire for the Jeep. We had a tire blow out a few months back, and the tires are special order. If we get a flat, we are pretty much screwed.

2. Take my restore CD and Kurt's computer and restore CDs into Best Buy. I would love to have my laptop back and stop using this desktop.

Rebecca is here, so I am signing off!

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Meeting


So, got to meet my friend Julia's new boyfriend tonight.....Actually not too "new", but I have not met him yet. We have both been so busy--me with work and her with studying for the bar. Wow, I don't envy her right now. We were talking at dinner and it was bringing back the awful memories of my studying this summer and wasting an entire summer. Well, I guess it was not a "waste" because I did pass, but my summer was not the most fun. Anyway. Tony, her boyfriend, is a really nice guy. Him and Kurt talked a lot, and they both love sports, so he is already ideal to Kurt. They watched a playoff game while Jules and I caught up. It was really nice to see her. I miss seeing her everyday like we did in school. I am sure once she is done with the bar exam we will start seeing eachother more. I hate that she moved to Clinton Township though, ugh. That part of the state if the absolute worst to get to, it is so freaking congested and trafficy. I keep trying to talk her into moving here, hehe. Tony is a doctor, so he really could open his own place ANYWHERE, and I don't see any better place than Monroe, do you? hehe. We had dinner at Eastside Mario's, which I love and my food was really good. I had angel hair pasta with spicy marinara and shrimp. Yum.

Friday night, Kurt, Kory and I headed to Quatro's for dinner. While there, we saw our friend Gary....on a date. It was strange to see him there because we don't normally see people we know in Monroe. He lives nearby though, so I don't know why I would think that it was weird. Kurt is predicting that the date was not going well, but I don't know. I will have to ask Gary later.

This morning, I went and got a massage in Monroe. Rebecca was busy all weekend, so she was not coming over to give me my Desperate Housewives massage on Sunday night, LOL. So, I headed to Blu Water. Had a new therapist today, Steve, who was awesome. I had him just do upper body, since that is my prob area and he did a great job. I am so screwed up. Stress goes straight to my shoulder, neck and back muscles. After that, I did a few things around the house--laundry, some dishes, picked up some stuff.

Just ordered my niece's birthday gift online.....Every year I order her stuff from Sephora....She is an addict like me. I am not going to list what I got her though because I have no idea if she reads my blog or not? I am guessing not, but I am not ruining the surprise....I will post what I got her AFTER she gets the gift.

I am exhausted now, so I think I am going to head to bed. Hope everyone is having a good weekend....

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Client of the Day Award

Today, one of our clients came in to sign some documents for me.

She walked in with two huge bouquets of carnations (one of me and one for Kurt, one pink, one white).

I could not believe it. What a sweet thing to do, and totally unnecessary. I would post a pic, but don't have my camera at the office today.

Yay for clients like this lady.

Gotta get back to work, but had to post that really quickly. It really brigtened my day.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Revenge of the Attorney


OK, not really. But, it was a crazy busy day. Misty does not work on Wednesdays, so normally we like one of us to be in the office if the other is not.


Well, we had a hearing at court and an arbitration scheduled. Tried to move the hearing, BUT the other attorney had different ideas. So annoying. Scheduling is NOT a client issue. Most offices do not ask their clients for an OK to move a hearing, unless it's an emergency issue. If there are scheduling conflicts, you just do it. Well, this attorney said he would have to *ask* his clients permission, and with the hatred in this case between the parties, I knew she would never agree. She did not. So this attorney is totally on Kurt's "shit" list, as he puts it. We are just waiting for the day he asks us for a favor. He has done this to us once before (when Kurt had the flu and was literally vomiting), and it's just obnoxious. We really put forth an effort to work with and have a great relationship with other attorneys' offices, and normally, this attorney is very kewl. I can just see the future conversation...........Let' s picture it, shall we? Here we go.

Let's set the stage. Divorce case. Annoying attorney wants our client's paystubs or some simple piece of information. *Normally* this information is subpoenaed or a document request is sent, but for offices who get along, to avoid this extra work, you just call the office and ask for the info. NOT next time. Here we go.....

Atty X (this is what I shall call the annoying atty): "Hi Lori, I was wondering if you would send your clients paystubs over to me?"

Lori: "Hmm. Let me call my client about that and get back to you, should not be a problem."

OK, pause here. With other attys who attempt to work with us, I would get the paystubs and send them over. OK, let's continue.

Lori (calls Atty X back on phone): "Sorry, Atty X. I have discussed this with my client, who actually does not want to turn over his paystubs. Therefore, I guess you will have to send over a document request or subpoena."

Atty X: "C'mon, Lori. this is information the judge will give us, don't make me do extra work..."

Lori: "Sorry, Atty X. It's our office policy to ask clients what they want to do, and thus, I can't give them to you."

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

We already told the guy that we will never move a hearing for him, so don't bother asking. he knows we were really mad (both times), but, who the hell ASKS their client's permission on crap like that? There is NOTHING in the ethical code that says we must, and you can't give your client the final decision on EVERYTHING, especially in cases where the parties can't stand eachother. Use logic! Geez. Oh, well, we know eventually, we will get to drive our point home and we can't freaking wait for that day.

So, today, I had court this afternoon. The case I was referring to above. It was a settlement conference, to try and resolve the last pending issue of a case, parenting time. We finally got it all settled, my client got pretty much he wanted, so that worked out well. But, not being at the office for two hours meant I came back to a note and check under the door, 19 phone messages and 5 appointments within a two hour time frame. Ugh. Which also meant we did not get home until after 8 p.m. Double ugh.

Last night was so much more relaxing. We got home, and I did a bunch of things that reminded me why I am so glad to be done with school.

1. Took a bath with bath crystals, a book, and bubbles. I have this amazing jacuzzi bathtub in my master bath, which rarely gets used. I jumped in last night to relax........

2. Learning Spanish. Popped in my new cd for about 15 minutes to practice new stuff.

3. Aimlessly watching TV. it's nice to watch TV and not know I *should* be doing something else.

Anyway. I am totally exhausted so I am heading to bed. Night!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Sleepy.


So, Sunday was another day of sleeping in....Guess I needed it! ;). After sleeping in, Rebecca came over around 4:30 p.m. and went to Target and Kroger's. I got Gretel a new little outfit at Target (which I need to take back because it's too small).......Ended up just chilling at home that night. Ate cereal for dinner and watched Desperate Housewives and Intervention with Rebecca. DH was sooo good. This season is great. Unreal, but great at the same time. I don't mind a dose of nonreality TV once in a while.

Today was insanity at work. Mondays are horrible. I think I need the weekend to prepare me for Mondays at work. Kurt had two hearings this morning, so I stayed in the office with two appointments, as well as several clients walking in, a ton of calls, and trying to draft documents, all at the same time. Sigh. We did Subway for lunch and then crazily worked all afternoon. Aargh. Exhausted now, and I have another long day tomorrow since there is a board meeting tomorrow night.

I got home to some fun mail though. My pictures from my trip arrived, yay. They look great. I am thrilled since i only paid 2 cents per photo. I thought they might of been below par on quality. Props to York Photo. Anyway, ordered a kewl personalized photo album for them online tonight. Check it out here, I got the tan one. It will say "Costa Rica 12-2006". Can't wait to get it in the mail and put my pics in! Wow, look at me, following my New Years Resolution, ha. Also, got the software/books in the mail today that I got to learn Spanish with. Too tired tonight to look at it, but will start that soon as well.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

You Know You are Sick When......


you sleep in until 1:45 p.m. and are still tired.....

Yep. That would have been me this morning. I can't even remember the last time I slept in that late. I am guessing I really needed it though.

Last night's Xmas party went really well. Nothing dramatic happened regarding my Dad and sister being in the same room for the first time in like 10 years. So, that was great. My Grama was happy to have us all there (minus my one Aunt) for Xmas, and it was a nice night. Everyone liked their gifts, and dinner was great.

Today has totally been lazy. I did a load of laundry and besides that, have tried to rest so my cold gets 100% better.

I am watching this show on MTV that has got to be the most obnoxious show ever, it is like watching a car wreck though, you just can't stop watching. Anyway, it is called My Super Sweet 16 and is about these kids who have over the top 16th birthday parties. It's insane. The last one, the girl had a party that cost about $200,000.00, AND her parents bought her a BMW. Crazy. She wore $1M of jewelry to the party, borrowed from her mother. The one I am watching now, the girl is even more spoiled acting. She truly thinks she is better than everyone else........Ugh. But, I am still watching. Make me stop! Ha.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Holiday Shopping Drama


so, on the way home from work today, I realized that TOMORROW is Friday. Why does that matter, you may ask? Well, Friday is the night we are celebrating Xmas late with some of my family, because Kurt and I were out of town. My sister and her fiance and his two kids will be there, as well as my Aunt, Dad, and Grama, and me, Kurt and Kory.

Next. Ask me how many gifts I have purchased? One. For my Aunt.

Fast forward to Lori heading to the mall after work to buy all the gifts. Ugh. besides the fact that I detest shopping, I really hate shopping under pressure. The reason I go away for the holidays is to avoid this crap. Ugh. I would have shopped earlier, but this cold took over my world and I could not leave the house, literally.

Well, got the shopping done. Thank God my sister loves gift cards because that was easy. My Grama is the hardest person ever to shop for. She rarely leaves her house as she does not drive, and really needs nothing. The things she *does* need, she refuses, like maid service (she does not want the maid to see how messy her house is), etc. Aargh. Ended up getting her two things she requested as well as a frame for my graduation picture, a really nice blanket (to cuddle up with while watching her fav Suzy Orman) and a necklace. She loves jewelry (maybe that is who I got it from, LOL).

I am a little bit nervous about tomorrow. My sister (who is 2 years younger than me) and my Dad, have not spoken in like 10 years. They got in an argument about 10 years ago, which was partially about my stepMom who my Dad is in the process of divorcing, and both are so stubborn, they have not spoken. Well, my Aunt asked my sister if she cared if my Dad came, and Christie said no (really meaning yes). So, my Aunt invited my Dad. It had been set up that we were doing two Xmases, one with my Dad, and one with my sister. I just have no idea how this is going to go.......

Came home and did some laundry and tried to clean that room up a little bit. I had clothing that really needed to be bagged up for the salvation army. Finally did some of that. Yay.


Off to bed........

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Year in Review

Everyone else is doing these "remembering 2006" things, so I suppose I should too! Thank God I have this blog to help me remember what happened, because I am clueless......

January 2006: Gretel had her first birthday. My grama turned 80 and we celebrated her birthday. Met Nora and Maya for the first time (my two friends Kerry and Marla's latest additions to their families). Saw Sheryl Crow in concert with my friend Deanna. Had my picture taken at school for the class composite...graduation is started to feel like it may really happen! :). Also ordered my class ring. Our cat, Toby is really sick. Taking meds but getting worse. My sister got engaged. hired another secretary at the office named Darlene.

February 2006: Did work on the den and pantry in our house. Kory visited us and talked about coming to live with us after his semester ended. Misty (my secretary) had her second baby this month, a little girl. Kurt turned 35. This month was pretty stressful at the office.

March 2006: Rebecca and I visited a psychic (who solidified my belief that most psychics know nothing). But, it was fun. Toby, our cat, passed away. Made a goal for myself to stop tearing my fingernails (nervous habit). I have stuck to it to this day! Was introduced to Indian food by our friends Cliff and Lisa....Yum. Went to Ben's birthday party (my friend Deanna's son). Saw a coyote in our yard! Celebrated Julia's birthday (late) with dinner out. Saw Chicago at the theatre. Saw a cirque show called Delirium with Kurt. Sent my bar application out in the mail.

April 2006: Got our kitten, Bugsy. Bought my iPod. Had lunch and shopped with my sister. Went to Vegas with Kurty and saw Billy Joel in concert. Went to Belle Isle for the first time with Rebecca.

May 2006: Took the last of finals and I graduated from law school! Then started bar review classes, which took all of my time up. Met my sister's soon to be stepkids and her soon to be husband. Planted 16 new pine trees in our yard. I turned 29. Celebrated my Aunt's birthday, and Mother's Day with my Grama. kory moved into our house.

June 2006: Mostly consisted of review classes for the bar. Bought a house on Lake Erie to renovate and resell. Kurt's brother and Dad spent a lot of time at our house helping us do the renovations. Saw deer in our yard. Went to the Toledo Zoo with Rebecca...Saw the Blooze Brothers at the Canton Fest. Went on my first hiking expedition with Lesley and was so excited to find someone who likes it as much as I do. Went to Mel's baby shower. Gretel and I did a walk to raise money for the Humane Society with Rebecca and Simon. Kory turned 21. Saw Wicked at the theatre. Planted my summer flowers. Put solar lighting in the yard. My first photo was published in the Detroit Free Press. Went to a Tigers game. Planted more trees in the yard. Kurt was in the hospital for really bad side pains (which was never figured out).

July 2006: More studying for the bar, then took the bar exam. Everything with my niece started to get crazy and both Kurt and Kory disowned her. Have not talked to her since. Went to Pittsburgh for a Tigers game. Stopped at the Football Hall of Fame as well.

August 2006: Met my friend Jeannie's daughters, and had lunch with her and another friend. Went to IKEA for the first time. Did a lot of hiking and photography. Made the decision that I needed to upgrade my camera. Kellie and Kendra came to visit. Passed the character and fitness part of the bar exam. Started using Flickr for my photos. met Jen, Lesley's sister. My cousin Thomas graduated from high school. Bought my new fun cell phone. Did a lot of hiking and photography.

September 2006: Bought my new camera! Some more of my photography was published. Kurt decided to leave his IRS job. Went to my only Lions game of the year, despite the fact that I have season tickets. Finally got rid of our home landline phone. Visited Frederick Meijer's Gardens in Grand Rapids.

October 2006: I passed the bar exam! Also got sworn into the Michigan bar exam with my friend Kellie. Before that, applied for and was appointed to the Jefferson School Board in Newport. Went to a World Series game. More of my photography was published. Went to Tigers playoff games. Kurt got hit by a car while walking to the Tigers game (he was fine). Saw The Pajama Game in Ann Arbor with Nancy.

November 2006: Surprised my Mom for Thanksgiving with a trip to Manistee. Met my stepbrother's girlfriend. Got sworn into Federal Court. Had to get a new furnace in the house. Had my first court appearance. Attended my first board meeting. Attended my first board conference. Saw Movin Out at the Fisher with my Aunt. Got my passport. Got my bar number and card in the mail. Voted, and the Dems took over! Hooray! Attended a celebration bar passing party for me with family.

December 2006: Costa Rica trip. Kurt's brother Scott visited. Vito turned 3. Saw Spamalot at the Fisher with my Aunt. Saw my only in theatre movie of the year, Borat. Hunters trespassed on our property and killed a bird. Bought gym equipment. Saw Aerosmith in concert. Attended the School Board Xmas party in Toledo.

Give me Drugs


OK, not the kind you are thinking of.

But, prescription drugs. Finally broke down this afternoon and went to the doctor. We both seemed to be getting progressively worse, so we both went. Appears we both have upper respiratory infections, and the doc wrote us prescriptions for Z-paks and a syrup called Ceron-DM. Came home and took it and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch for two hours. I woke up feeling slightly better, but I dont know if it's the drugs or the nap, both of which were really needed. Either way, glad to have started feeling a little bit more functional. Last night was horrible and I am hoping to sleep through the night tonight. I am not one to waste precious sleeping hours and normally sleep hard and through the night, but last night, I was up every few minutes trying to clear my nasal passages so I could sleep. Ugh.

So, regarding one of my News Years Resolutions, I ordered some pics online today! The ones from the Costa Rica vacay. I got a coupon via email for 2 cent prints, and decided to put it to use. And I got 25 free prints because I was a new customer. Once I get them, I will have to get a special album for them all.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Still Sick


And don't seem to be getting better. It seemed my fever broke during the night, only to progressively come back during the day. Nice.

We went into the office, both of us feeling horrible. Kurt started having bad side pains (similar to the ones he had before that put him in the hospital), so I drove him home for the day. I could not stay home, as one of our Chapter 13 cases HAD to be filed today, and I had to head back in to draft and file online.

While at home, Kory showed me the basement, which had somehow flooded. Asking what he should do about it. So, I called a sump pump place who was supposed to come look at it, but of course, never did. In the meantime, kory got the thing working again, but I really need these people to come out here. Home service people seem to be soo unreliable a lot of the time.

Went back to the office and had a really hard time working. My throat was scratchy, my nose and head totally plugged, and I could not breathe. I spent the afternoon pacing the office trying to get my nasal passages to clear.....

My 6 p.m. appt called to reschedule (thank God) and I got to leave the office around 545 p.m. The rest of the night has been spent sitting on the couch wanting to bet better.

Heading off to bed now......

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Weekend

So, this weekend was both good and bad.

Good, because I had three days off instead of two.

Bad, because besides Friday night, I have been sick with a horrible cold that appears to only get progressively worse. Thank God my plans for NYE were to stay in, because I felt like doing nothing on Sunday night other than sitting on my couch and chilling.

Friday night, I stayed in and finished my trip report and pictures from our vacay. That was nice to get done. I was too busy during the week and Friday night was perfect for finishing that. Saturday, I worked part of the morning and early afternoon, then came home and cleaned some while waiting for rebecca to get over here....We headed to the mall and went to a few stores, trying to see if there were any good after holiday sales. We both got some hair product from a local salon, and some stuff at Bath and Body Works. After that, we came home to wait for Kory to get off of work so we could eat. We instead got a call from Kory that his car broke down. So, Rebecca and I headed off to find him, and while there I called AAA to get his car towed to our local auto mechanic. Then, we all went to dinner at Pete's, which was yummy, as usual. Sunday, I was still sick, but managed to kinda grocery shop with rebecca. I forgot some things, but I think it's mostly because I was sick and not thinking straight. Reminder to self: need to pick up milk, pasta sauce, cereal.........

Sunday night, we had a kinda Haskell NYE party with rebecca, kory and britton who came back from up north just in time for the party. The three of them drank quite a bit, but kurt and I refrained since we were both sick and on cold pills. We ordered pizza for dinner and stayed in. I ended up falling asleep on the couch at like 11 p.m. and went to bed before midnight. Boy, I am fun! Ha. I was sick, so it's OK.

Today, I stayed in again since I am sick. We mostly watched college bowl games and were lazy. Hopefully being lazy has helped my sickness, but we will see tomorrow.