Happy Halloween

Just watched Child's Play 2. Yea, it terrifies me every time.

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you had a great holiday.

Dose of Your Own Medicine

My friend, Lisa, sent this to me. I found it hilarious. Stupid freaking hunters deserve whatever happens to them....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usanimalhuntingoffbeat

Love

**Me and Bugsy, before my Board Meeting. Can you tell I am in love with my boy??

I really need to keep up on this blogging. I start to forget what I want to blog about. :).

Last Thursday was a board meeting. Went pretty smoothly, which was nice. I was expecting some fireworks on some issues, but everything was calm. Went out afterwards and got to see Carl and Kittie, which was nice. I really hope that Carl decides to run again, it's nice to have as many people on my side as possible. And we pretty much always agree on issues.

This weekend was nice. Saturday we worked (which I lied, was NOT nice). hehe. Afterwards, we met Auntie and Carl for dinner downtown at Traffic Jam, which is one of my laidback favorites. I split an appetizer with Auntie and Carl of crab and asparagus wontons which were amazing. My meal was crab cakes which were super yummy too. Saw The World's Greatest Majic Show at the Fisher Theatre afterwards, which was funny and really good. A really nice night out.

Sunday, we were going to work, but ended up staying in. Was supposed to get together with Rebecca, but I was exhausted, and the two hour drive (there and back), would have given me a migraine. With construction, I could just not stomach it as much as I wanted to go up there. We ended up going to this Barktoberfest by our house and taking the pugs. Gretel wore her Halloween costume. It was fun. I loved watching Vito interact with other dogs and people. He LOVVVVES other people and dogs. They all had fun. Came home and ran some errands including getting a much needed oil change on the Jeep and stopping by Target to check out my sister's registry. I need to get her something since her shower is Sunday, but I most likely will get something not on the registry. Did a bunch of laundry, which desperately needed to be done, cleaned the kitchen and got a nice workout in. Lazy Sundays are the best.

Dropped the Saturn off today to be worked on. There is something going on with the ignition (which I have mentioned before), and I will be really glad to have that fixed so I can drive my baby again. Work went alright, and we did not have to work late, which is awesome.

Nothing too exciting going on here (obviously). Talk later......

Pugs in Costume

Had court all morning today, which kinda sucked because Misty called in sick, and I came back to madness at the office and a ton of calls. Ugh. Court went well though, and I got some stuff filed that needed to be.

We took Oscar to the vet tonight. His eye has been bothering him and we thought maybe he had scratched it, but wanted to make sure nothing major was wrong. Nothing major is. He does have a tiny scratch, and they gave us some drops to help the healing process. Also got his nails cut while there. Took him to petsmart afterwards and bought some dog treats as well as a Halloween costume for Gretel that I need to return for the next size up. It is a tiny bit too small, but really cute on her. She is going to be a strawberry, ;).

Came home and made dinner, worked out, did a load of laundry. Nothing exciting. Have a board meeting tomorrow, which should be dramatic, but can't post why at this point. Will update tomorrow if the drama occurs.....

I have so many small errands and things I need to do that I just don't have the time to do. Ugh. I keep saying every week I will accomplish these things and I never do. I am going to make it a goal to do these things THIS Saturday. We may work part of the weekend, but any other free time I have is going to be devoted to doing this stuff. Some of the things are: Sams Club visit (really need bottled water and some other things), pedicure and manicure (luckily we are done with sandal season here, but I still like going for maintenance), Trader Joe's (really need chili). Also, I want to sit down and plan my meals for next week, and go buy ingredients for them. The Kraft site lets you make shopping lists, so I know what I need to make these meals I want to try. I am going to do this. :).

Off to bed......

Panama

Yay! Whoot! The actual booking of the tix and the confirmation email is what makes me really believe I am going on vacay. Just booked our Panama Xmas trip tonight. I used an Entertainment Book coupon and saved almost $72! Which rocks since the book only cost $15 to begin with. I used it and saved almost $100 to Belize and used it to save like $40 on our rental car in Vegas, so this book rocks. Seriously. If you travel a lot, this book is worth buying. Now, I need to book our rental SUV (you need four wheel drive there) and kinda plan the trip. We like to play things by ear, but with this trip, we need to figure out what we want to do because there is a lot of planning with boats and such to get where you want to go.


This lady comes in today to pay her son's bill. She was such a freaking bitch. This was not even her case. It was a divorce, and the parties in the case came to an agreement on everything, wherein our client, against our advice, gave his wife custody and permission to move to TN. Kurt grilled him on the record about this so it was recorded that he went against our advice. Apparently, he went home and told his family that we "lost" his case. His mother, after very rudely paying the bill, leaves a "note" for Kurt on the counter, wherein she rips him apart (Keep in mind here she was never in court or part of the case except paying) saying that he is a "lazy" atty and does not care about his clients or try to get them what they want. We just have to laugh at this kind of stuff because family law is really a thankless kind of law to practice. Everyone is happy until they have to pay their bill. That's what this was about, entirely. She was mad he owed us money. Whatever. We probably work harder than anyone. And Kurt hates to lose and rarely does. We can't make people do what we want. We are there to simply counsel. If you don't do what we say, it's your call. Don't later blame us for your stupid decisions and your lack of common sense to listen to your atty. Isn't that why people hire an atty? Who knows.

Trusting my Gut

Went to bed early last night, just to wake up and not feel well in the middle of the night. Ugh. Was up about an hour and fell back to sleep. So much for getting a good night's sleep! :).

I am feeling kinda down/sad right now. Sometimes, I just realize that everything is not as it seems, and that bothers me. I know it's the things in life that are not "cookie cutter" and "predictable" that make life what it is, but regarding certain things, I just always want there to be that "constant". I know I am being evasive here, but when certain things happen, it just brings me down and I don't know how to get past that. I hate, hate, hate seeing my friends and family do things to themselves that are creating heartache in thier lives, and I hate it even more when there is nothing I can do at all to help it.

I trust my gut. I used to question myself, until a few years back when an individual working with kurt and a friend on a business venture started to make me feel uneasy. I told Kurt that I did not trust this person, and I think everyone thought I was odd for saying so because he had not really given us a reason NOT to trust him. After all, Kurt's friend said, he is a really religious guy and a cancer survivor, those kinds of people don't screw others over. (yay, right). Anyway, long story short, the guy ended up disappearing with a large amount of money. We were not "out" any money, so whatever, but we should have gotten a nice vacation (or 2 or 3) out of our proceeds of that venture and never did. Since then, I have trusted myself and how I feel.

It really bothers me when I feel like people I am close to (family, friends, whomever), are not being upfront and honest with me. It has happened in the past with Kory's two sisters, and friends of mine. I can usually sense it, and when I call people out on it and they continue to misrepresent themselves, it bothers me. I almost always drop it, but it does not mean I will forget. Seriously. A lot of things are not any of my business, and that's fine. Just say that to me. I don't press things with people unless I think they will be harmed emotionally by their actions. And if you don't want to talk about it, that's totally fine. The only thing I ask for from friends and family is honesty. It's funny how sometimes that can be the hardest thing to confront and deal with, something that should be the easiest thing to do.

And I do get "why" people sometimes do this with me. I am, as my close friend Deanna says, a "Tell it Like it Is" kinda person, so I will not mesh with everyone. We went to dinner recently, and she is going through very legitimate hard times, and she said to me, "Lori, that's why I wanted to do dinner with you. You truly tell it like it is." I don't "baby" the facts/issues. If a friend needs a shoulder to cry on and the crying is legit, I am there. But, I am not going to let my friends sit around and cry over situations they have created for themselves. I want to help them towards doing better, creating something better for their lives. I guess I just need to deal with the fact that some people are not going to come to me with their problems, because they don't like my bluntness, LOL. I can't help who I am or how I feel with stuff like this.

And if anyone misreads this post and thinks it is about them, it's not. It's just something I have been thinking about lately. I question my instincts too much. I have been finding more and more that trusting my gut is the right way to go. I need to stop second guessing myself on things, and just go with it. if I am wrong, I am wrong, and that's OK. I don't need to be perfect and right all the time. Right?

Weekend Update

Went hiking today at Sterling State Park. It was really relaxing, and I took a bunch of pics of the changing colors and such. Such a nice walk. I saw in one spot, 12 white herons at the same time, which was incredible. Also saw a ton of turtles, getting the last sun of the year....Ducks as well, and lots of birds screaming at eachother, hehe.

Had a great weekend too. Yesterday, Rebecca came over and we made dinner. Kory made his Mom's famous cheesy potatoes. He made him and Rebecca burgers, and I made Kurt and I grilled tuna. We made crab rangoon for an appetizer, which was really yummy, and warmed up rolls that Rebecca brought over. We ate at the dining room table, for the first time since we have moved into the house, which was 4.5 years ago, LOL. Anyway, it was really nice. After that, we headed to this haunted hayride in Newport at a local farm, which was hilarious and quite the production! :). I was scared and screamed a lot, haha. I get scared so easily.


Got a migraine really early on Friday morning and can still feel remnants of it today. Ugh. Rebecca worked on my neck some yesterday which made the headache stop....thanks Rebecca! :).

Time for bed. Just watched the Indians lose, BLAH. I can't stand the Red Sox. GO ROCKIES!

Sleepy

Ugh. So tired. And I have a super busy day tomorrow. Oh wait, that's EVERY day. OK, slightly busier than usual. Kurt and I have like 7 hearings to do between ourselves, at three different buildings. It will be interesting, but we have done up to 9 so it should be possible.

Went to dinner last night with Terry, a friend of Kurt's from the IRS when he worked there. He was in Detroit (he lives in Cleveland) for an IRS conference. We took him to eat at Crave in Dearborn and he loved it. I had my fav meal, my fav sushi app. Yum. I love going there. We had a great time seeing Terry and an awesome night out.

Got my new watch in the mail last night and it is even more kewl in person! Yay! And the box it came in is so lux and cute. I am saving it. Just because. Ha. Wore it today and like it even more than last night......

Watched Blades of Glory tonight with Kurt and Kory and it was hilarious. I love Will Ferrell. He is so funny. Then, went I went downstairs to work out and put in my new Netflix Sopranos disc, it was broken. BOOOO. So, I watched more Queer as Folk, which was really good. Will Brian and Justin stay together? I will not know until next time. So, don't tell me, Rebecca! :).

Anyway, need to get to bed to deal with my day tomorrow. Sorry so short....

Doctors

I know, doctors are a business, just like I am a business with the legal stuff. So, I really should not complain about them at all, they are kinda in the same boat as I am.

But, seriously. If someone is unbalanced, takes Prozac, and has had a LOT of issues in their life (and all this at age 19), should someone really be allowing them to make the decision to have body altering surgery without making them at least *think* about this decision? Yea, I won't name anyone here, cuz who the hell knows who reads my blogs, but someone I know supposedly got breast enhancement surgery done. Yea. She totally did not need it. She has this unhealthy obsession with strippers and porn stars. I really hope she does not turn to things like that now that she had the chest to go into those things. Aargh. I have a feeling she is really going to regret getting the surgery someday. I have no idea what size she got, etc., but I have a feeling it is not small. She was already like a B cup or maybe bigger.....

Alright, rant over.

Stayed in today. Had all these plans to go hiking (the weather was overcast and I could not go), get a pedicure, run some errands...Instead, I stayed in and did nothing. I liked it though, and truly, probably needed it. I did do some laundry and cleaning, and made a great dinner thanks to Kraft Foods recipes (I made a variation of a Boca Pasta Bake which was super yummy, and made jalapeno cheese bread with melted butter and parmesean cheese to go with it). I made a large portion too, so I can eat it the rest of the week. Love cooking the 8 serving portion and then having leftovers. I need to start using the Kraft site more, super easy stuff to make.

Watched a bunch of shows on TV today, which I never, ever do. I had never seen the shows. One was called I Propose, Married Away, and Clean House (host of this one was super annoying,, but show was good). Liked all three shows.

Tired

Sitting here watching "Bring It On". For whatever reason, I love that movie. I think it's because, ummm, yea, I was a cheerleader in high school. I admit it. To the world. I know you all are probably shocked because today, I am not exactly the "cheerleader" type--after having gone to law school and all that. I am actually kinda embarassed to even say I was a cheerleader for three years of high school, but I don't really know why. I think a lot of people look down on cheerleading, but let me tell you, it was a HELL of a workout (with dance and gymnastics) and a total sport that gave me coordination I will never lose. The sport actually taught me discipline, and turned a kinda shy, behind the scenes girl, into an outgoing, confident person. Plus, the uniforms were freaking adorable. ;). I have no idea how this post turned into a cheerleading thing, so I will stop now and post about my week.

So, this past Thursday was my and Kurt's 11 year "dating" anniversary. We actually consider it more of an anniversary than our actual wedding anniversary in December. I totally forgot about it, LOL. Kurt and I were eating at our favorite local hole in the wall Japanese place, sharing the California roll platter and miso soup, and Kurt says to me "Are you forgetting something today?" I was like, UMMMMM, what? He says, "it's our anniversary!" Whoops! So, I told him, well thanks honey! He said, "For what?" My response? The watch you bought me online this morning! Ha. I finally bought a nice watch online. I had this Omega watch all picked out from before the time I graduated from law school. I had said it would be my graduation gift. Long story short, I never bought it. I could not really stomach spending that much on a watch. It is retail like $5000, but available on eBay for like $2000. Still, even at $2000, I had issues with the idea of wearing a used car on my wrist. So, I have been eyeing this other watch on Amazon for a while. It is made by Burberry and very similar in style to the Omega I wanted and a fraction of the cost, but still designer looking. On Amazon's Friday Sale, they had it marked down to the lowest I have ever seen it (NOT the price listed on the site now). So, I bought it....OR, umm, Kurt bought it for me as an anniversary gift. I can't wait to get it. Also bought a jump rope because I need it for my kickboxing videos I bought a little while ago. Later that day, I ordered a new purse (really needed one, mine is starting to fall apart), and I told Kurt thanks for the second anniversary gift! Ha. He is such a great gift giver, I get exactly what I want. :). Oh, the style I got on that site is the "Andi", and used the materials manatee faux suede and tangled up. The site rocks. You get to design your own, one of a kind, purse. Love it. Can't wait to get that in the mail too.

This past week was crazy busy. I had work, as well as two committee meetings on Tuesday for the Board and another committee meeting and regular board meeting on Thursday. Aargh. I was so happy for the week to be over.

Sometimes, people drive me bonkers. Former Client. Did her divorce, which was complex, long and intense. Talked to this person on the phone ALL the time, and she loved us. Referred her friends, some family, etc. At the end of her case, she owed us money. Instead of making her pay, per her request, we agreed to take our fees from her portion of her husband's 401K, which she was getting a large sum of money from. We added this into the Judgment of Divorce, as well as her Order that divided the 401K. Once the Order was done and sent to the 401K company, she called the company and somehow got them to disobey the Order and send the money directly to her, which she, of course, did not turn over to us. We called her several times, and shockingly, I know, she did not return our calls. Finally, three weeks ago, she returned a call from Misty and said she was sending payment the following week. OK, fine. Instead, we get a letter with a check for $100. The letter was rude, she was basically stating that since she "believed" she got a bad deal in her divorce and was broke, she was deciding how payment would be made to us, and it would be in the amount of $100 per week. For 32 weeks. Ummm, I don't think so. And I fixed that. Since the Judgment of Divorce had the provision in there about our atty fees, we did not have to sue her for collections, we simply had to turn garnishments into the court for signature and serve them on her employer, bank account, and state of MI for taxes. Because she wrote us the check, I knew where she banked. Anyway. Sent all the stuff out, and a hold was put on her bank account on Friday. She called on Friday night, left a message (crying) that the money in her account was to pay her mortgage and bills, and we needed to give it back. How freaking amusing. Let's see, sweetie. You intercepted MY MONEY, kept it for yourself, and NOW, I am supposed to feel SORRY for you?? Yea, that. I have a mortgage to pay too and with clients like her, it makes it more difficult to budget and figure things out. I hate having to do that to clients because of course, now, she will be all talking bad about us and shit, but whatever. I am sure she already was anyway, and we have enough clients who are giving us rave reviews. Sigh.

My Aunt and I went on a short hike today at Lake Erie Metropark. Took a few pics. It's so sad all the flowers are dying! I hate that. After that, went to the Monroe Outlet Mall, where I got three sweaters (white, black and green) at the Gap, two little outfits for my sister who is pregnant at Carter's. Oh, another announcement! My sister is having a boy! She found out on Thursday. Name is going to be Nicholas James. My Mom is having her shower the first weekend in November. Went to dinner at Pete's and stopped at Kmart to buy Bugsy food.

And, I am off to SLEEP in. Can't wait.

Mega Mutt March

Friday night, we actually left the office at 5! A miracle! Ha.

Saturday, we worked from 9-12. Kurt left, and I stayed until 230. I went to leave, and my car would not start. Ugh. The ignition in the Saturn has been acting up a really long time, and we have ignored it. Basically, we have a really hard time turning the key in the ignition. I tried to start it forever, and I had someplace to be. Anyway, eventually, Rebecca just came and picked me up, and we headed to Irene's for her and Garry to teach their class. It was so odd. I was their "professional client" for demonstrating this new form of massage. While I was under sheets and such, it still felt odd to be wearing nothing under one sheet in a room of 51 people. It was fun though, and i hope Rebecca and Garry get to start teaching thise class in Michigan and elsewhere. Afterwards, Rebecca and I went to dinner at Austin's HP Grille in Wyandotte, which was incredible. I love the place. We started with crab cakes, I had soup, she had salad. Then for dinner, I had blackened tuna with asparagus and a crab/shrimp sauce over the top. OMG, to die for. Went home after that, and of course, my car started right up. We are taking it into our mechanic in the morning because we cant just be stranded with this issue.

Today, got up early to head to the Mega Mutt March in Detroit with Gretel, Kory and Whiskey. We met Rebecca, Charlie and Simon there. It was really hot, especially for a morning in October in Michigan. I think it hit 90 degrees at some point today. Our "team" raised about $500, I think. Mostly by Rebecca, but Kory and I contributed $115 of it, LOL. Rebecca is much better at harassing people for money than I am....I sent out an email, but Rebecca bugs people in person, which helps her, but is hard for me. I dont like asking people for anything. We saw SOOO many cute doggies and some pugs and beagles too. Gretel flirted and met a lot of new friends, but was exhausted afterwards. 2 miles is far for a 14 pound pug to go! :). I worked after that until about 430 PM and have been home the rest of the night, doing laundry, working out, etc.

Desperate Housewives was good tonight!

Started looking up flights to Panama City, and it appears that are very similar to those to Belize, so they are cheaper than I thought they would be. Plus I have an AA coupon, so we will save money there. Whoot. I think I am going to book soon, just so prices dont go up. Right now, the plan is to go from the 14th until the 24th of December.

Where Should I Choose?

Yesterday, at lunch, Kurt and I stopped at Border's and bought two travel books--one about Panama and one about Peru. Those are the two places I have our December travel narrowed down too. After reviewing both books and doing some research online, I *think* I have decided on Panama. Mostly because the flight is shorter, it's not the rainy season there in December, and Peru just had an earthquake which means some bridges and stuff may be out and not repaired by the time of our trip. I still really want to see Peru as well, so maybe we will do that during our May/summer trip. The more I read the book on Panama, the more excited I am. Pretty much the entire country is nature and wildlife and beaches. I will start researching more and pick the places I want to see, but the book gives me a great start.

While on the way into the mall at lunch yesterday, we saw a lady getting out of her car with two little kids, one in a stroller and the other about 3 years old. Apparently, said three year old was not behaving, and the mother was just telling him off. I walked by and as I did, I hear her say (and i am not kidding), "Stop being a little ass." Yes, she swore at her 3 year old, with her baby in a stroller. I literally stopped, turned around, and stared at her. Did she notice? No. She was too busy still yelling. I started talking really loudly about her to Kurt, and she did not hear a word. Seriously, who argues with a 3 year old? And who swears at them? How horrible. This is the reason people should have to undergo testing before having kids. I came very close to saying something to the woman because I was so appalled, but I knew her response would be telling me that I have no business telling her how to act. That's just how people like her are. What freaking scum.

My Maga (Grama) had her knee replacement surgery on Monday and everything went well. She was in the hospital until Thursday and then taken to the rehab center for 7-10 days. I hate knowing she is in pain, but am glad the surgery went well for her. Keep my Maga in your prayers.....:).

The office was crazy busy this week.......And we are working tomorrow morning until I have to leave to go to Rebecca's. Night, all!

Went last night to the Fisher Theatre to see The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee. Which was hilarious. Loved it. Also loved NO INTERMISSION. I hate intermissions. I am tired during the week, and just want to watch the show and get home for some sleep. I highly recommend seeing this.

Had a doctor's appointment tonight. I went at the end of August for the first time. I have had issues with my skin since I was a teenager and finally decided to try and do something about it. The first time, he put me on Duac and Differin. He saw an improvement this time, and gave me some samples of something new to try that is stronger than the Differin, since I have not had any side effects yet. I will try that tonight and see how it goes.

Fed my birds when I got home, who seem to be out and about again. We had kinda a suprising dry spell with the birds being around, and I have no idea why. I had to put out 3 new suets tonight as well as fill both feeders! Yay!

So, my goal of leaving the office by 5 everyday has not happened. Even once, LOL. But we are in what Kurt calls "busy season", so it's expected.

Called a guy about the roof, as we need some new shingles (about 10) on the garage. The guy says we need a new roof, and I dont believe him. I think poeple try and take advantage of us sometimes because they come over and see a large house and think they can screw us over. So, I am getting some more opinions (2 more) this week. I dont need a new roof. Nothing is leaking.

Oh, and I am writing this on my laptop! It was not working and I needed the restore CDs, which I could not find. I ordered a new one from Toshiba, and voila! Laptop fixed. I am seriously thinking about buying a new one though and giving mine to Kurt. His is super old. I have no idea what I want though....Any suggestions, anyone?

I am also in the market for a new mattress. I need to go back to Art Van or a mattress store to try things out. I really am leaning towards a Temperpedic type bed, but need to figure that out. Again, any suggestions, peeps?

Tried to watch Private Practice again tonight while working out, and I am just not feeling it. I really wanted to, but I don't. So, I turned it off and watched my Sopranos CD. I can't believe I ever watched that when it was on. Great show.

Off to bed.